Everyone's Favorite Wizards!
by LauraHeartfilia
Summary: When Fairy Tail's Strongest Team go to investigate some suspicious ruins, they once again fall into a strange world. In this world, Wizards need wands, and instead of a Magic Council, there's a Ministry of Magic! Instead of guilds, Wizards have schools! When the group are found by Harry, Ron and Hermione, who are Hogwarts's Strongest Team, they go on an adventure of a lifetime!
1. Chapter 1

Everyone's Favorite Wizards!

"Grey, your clothes." Lucy sighed as she and the rest of Fairy Tail's Strongest Team made their way down the long, deserted path.

"Awh, crap! Grey cried out as he stared down at his naked torso, mouth gaping open. "This is the tenth time today!"

"Ha-Ha-Haaaa! You look so stupid in just your undies, Ice Princess!" the pink-haired mage laughed, and pointed a finger directly at Grey's blue snowman-decorated boxers.

"Oh yeah?" Grey bit back, ramming is forehead straight into Natsu's, without even the slightest grimace of pain. "Well at least I don't set fire to everything I touch, you dumbass pyromaniac!"

At that moment, a circle of bright red, burning hot flames appeared, blazing all around Natsu's feet. Around Grey, a similar phenomenon was occurring, except instead of flame, sharp blades of crystal ice whirled on the floor, creating something which looked alot like a hurricane. Lucy, however, seemed to be completely unfazed. She just turned her head, and nodded slightly. "Erza? Do what you do best, will ya'?"

A few feet behind them, a gorgeous, red haired female clad in armor gave a small smile and returned Lucy's nod.

"Boyyyys," Erza said, with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Yes Ma'am?!" the two boys replied instantly, their voice shaking with terror.

Erza gained a strict, almost motherly-like tone, as she answered "Just what have I told you two about fighting in public?! You're disgracing the name of Fairy Tail! You don't want me to come over there and make you boys separate, do you?!"

Natsu and Grey shivered as they saw the evil glint in Erza's eye, and practically screamed "No Ma'am! We're the best of friends!" at the top of their lungs (in perfect unison, might I add).

"That's Erza for ya'!" came a voice from from the clouds, a voice so high-pitched and child-like that it could only belong to Happy, the little blue cat - or should I say Exceed?

Lucy giggled. She loved days like this; the days on which she, Natsu, Happy, Grey and Erza took on all sorts of jobs requests, went on adventures (maybe destroying a few towns in the process), and just had all round good times as they made fun of each other on the road. Okay, maybe she wasn't the loudest, or the strongest, but she certainly did feel as if she did have a place on The Strongest Team. And that was all that mattered to her.

"Wait a minute, Erza!" Natsu shouted as he stopped dead in his tracks. "There's nobody here! We're not in public, so what's stoppin' me from pounding this guy's stupid head in?!"

Erza shot him her best death glare.

*A FEW SECONDS LATER*

"Ow! Ow ow ow owww!" Natsu nursed the fist-sized lump on his head as he fought back tears. "Erza, that was so not fair! We gotta have a rematch! Oww!"

"Honestly," Grey chuckled to himself "You should know better than to talk back to Erza by now, Flame Brain."

"Shut your face, Ice Freak!" Natsu yelled in reply.

"But seriously, now that you mention it, Natsu's right - there IS no one here." Lucy addressed the whole group suddenly, her eyes alight with alarm. Above them, Happy snickered. "Took you long enough to figure _that_ one out, Lucy... Must be because you're so dumb, huh?"

"Oh, shut up you stupid cat!" Lucy snapped back, before continuing, "But doesn't this strike you as a bit odd? I mean, this place used to be a popular tourist attraction, didn't it?"

"Sure it was," Grey began darkly. "Before all the disappearances started."

Lucy bit her lip "True. But there's something else, too. Something else that's been bothering me."

"What is it? It may help us find out what's going on." Erza stared at Lucy intently. Much like Lucy had great respect for Erza's mental and physical strength, Erza also had great respect for Lucy's sharp intellect and intuition.

"Well, I may be wrong, but I think I sense some kind of Magic emanating from the area."

"Magic?" Grey repeated, unsure.

"Dark Magic?" Erza questioned, with Jellal appearing in the back of her mind - he knew dark magic better than anyone she knew. A part of her wished he had come along.

Lucy shook her head. "I don't think so. Still... It's different somehow. Kind of like Edolas, I suppose." She ran her hand through her hair and groaned. "Ugh. I just can't put my finger on it... Hm... " Lucy trailed off, too deep in thought to continue.

"Aw, crap, she's thinking!" Natsu whispered loudly (if such a thing was even possible. However, in Natsu's case, it was) to his blue feline friend.

"Whaaaat?! That can't be good! Whenever Lucy thinks, things always to wrong!"

"HEY, I CAN _HEAR_ YOU GUYS, YA' KNOW!"

"It wasn't me I swear, it was all Natsu! I promise!"

"YOU STUPID CAT!"

Lucy glares at them, although most of her anger had dissipated - she knew they didn't mean it, not really.

"I had Granpa Crux research this place as much as he could, but he couldn't find anything except the 20 different wizard disappearances."

"Just wizards, hm? No non-magical folk ever go missing there?" Grey inquired. Lucy shook her head. "And Crux also said that that whenever non-magic folk went there, they soon forgot everything about the ruins, even their location."

The team ponders in silence for a few seconds, before Erza orders "All of you! Stop! Immediately!"

And so, Natsu, Lucy, Happy and Grey stopped instantly; that's the kind of power Erza has.

"Awww! But Errrzzaaaa!"

"Shut up, Natsu."

"Okay okay I promise I'll be quiet!"

"This is as close as we can risk going. Natsu, can you smell anything?"

Natsu, however, completely blanked her. "Hey, why don't we just take the place by storm and beat up whatever's inside?"

"Aye sir!" Happy cried.

Lucy, once again, had to sigh. "Natsu, you know that's not the answer to everyth-"

But Natsu and Happy had already gone, leaving nothing bt a trail of smoke behind them. Lucy face-palmed. "I suppose we better go after them, huh?"

"That idiot..." Grey mumbled under his breath as the rest of the team chased after the crazed Dragon Slayer.

Natsu skidded to a halt right infront of the ruins. He could hear chimes, chimes so loud he fell to the ground and had to clap his hands over his ears to prevent his eardrums from exploding. For the first time ever, he cursed his dragon-like senses (wait a sec, this wasn't the first time - the first time was when that metalhead Gajeel started singing in the middle of the guildhall! Sheesh, he didn't want to be reminded of THAT).

_Do, do do do, do do, do..._

_Do, do do do, do do..._

"Natsu!"

"Natsuuuu!"

As Lucy and Happy rushed over to help him, followed by Erza and Grey, something very peculiar happened. Something very peculiar indeed...


	2. Chapter 2

Harry, Ron and Hermione carefully made their way through the thick, bushy undergrowth of the Forbidden Forest. The ominous growls and cries of the various different that resided in the forest could be heard for miles, although non could be seen: the only sources of light in the pitch black sky were the 3 golden orb-like objects that flickered above the 3 teenagers.

"These are bloody brilliant, Hermione!" Ron gestured up towards the hanks suns.

"Yeah, thanks Hermione!" Added Harry as he absent-mindedly scratched the lightening-bolt shaped scar on his forehead - a reminder of all he'd been through and all that lay ahead of him.

"It's alright, but you two really ought to be able to do these by now. Remember, we have our Charms O.W.L soon, and we just can't afford to mess up! This could even effect our future careers, and..."

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes simutainiously. As much as they both loved Hermione, they had to admit, she could be a real pain in the backside sometimes. But that was part of her charm, Ron thought to himself - although he would never admit it.

"So," Harry began, sharply cutting off Hermione's ongoing monologue. "What's our job then?"

Ron visisbly shivered. "According to Hagrid, we have the 'easy job' of feeding every creature in this bloody place. Even... Even the spiders!" he finished with a whimper. Harry groaned. Hermione sighed.

"Honestly Ronald, you had to go and get a detention from Snape, didn't you?! It's a good thing me and Harry decided to come with you, or God knows _what_ could've happened to you! I hope you're grateful, you DO know I have an Astronomy Essay to be getting on with, not to mention my fundraising for S.P.E.W-"

"Oh, don't you get started with your bloody S.P.E.W again!"

Harry shifted uncomfortably; he always hated it when Ron and Hermione bickered. It made him feel as if he were in a game of piggy-in-the-middle, except this time, there was to possibe way to get out of the centre.

That's when Harry's eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, a large herd of bat-like, skeletal horses galloped straight infront of then, letting out several terrified whinnies. Dangling from the mouth of the rear Thestral was a white scarf decorated with black lines in a pattern that somehow reminded Harry of the Hungarian Horntail had to go up against last year. He quickly fought the memory off.

"Hey! Gimme back my scarf you wrinkly jerks!" came a beast-like roar somewhere from Harry's left.

"Natsu, calm down!"

"No! Those ugly pieces of meat took Igneel's scarf from me! I'm gonna burn every single one of them to a crisp until they give it back!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione all exchanged bewildered looks before rushing off in the direction of the voices.

"Identify yourselves! All of you!" Harry ordered, standing at the forefront of his friends. He had his wand focused directly at a pile of what looked like 4 people and a... A... Well, he didn't even _want_ to know what that thing was.

"Why... Why do I always end up at the bottom whenever this happens?" came a barely audible whisper from a mop of blonde hair on the ground.

On top of her, a young woman with red hair replied "I apologise, Lucy. You may strike me as my penance, if you wish."

"That... That won't be nessicary, Erza. Don't worry about it." Lucy answered.

"Don't point that stupid thing at me!" yelled Natsu from the top of the pile. "You wanna fight, huh?! Well, I'm all fired up now!"

BOOM!

Harry's head snapped around in the direction of Hermione, except... There was no Hermione to be found, until something caught his eye on the floor. He bowed his head to find his bushy-haired friend collapsed, her face cherry-red. Next to her, Ron Weasley stared at the group wearing an expression that was both traumitised and horrified, his mouth gaping wide open. It didn't take Harry long to find our why.

Sandwhiched inbetween Erza and Natsu, lay a butt-naked boy, who, Harry thought nervouosly, bore a slight resemblance to him.

"Blimey..." Ron trembled. "He even has a scar on his forehead"


	3. Chapter 3

Once everyone had calmed down (and, in one young man's case, put his boxers back on) the two groups were finally able to sit down and sort things out like responsible human beings.

Just kidding. Mages from Fairy Tail were never able to sort things out like regular human beings. It was an impossibility for them.

"HEY! LET ME OUTTA' HERE!" Natsu yelled. For the last few minutes, Harry, Ron and Hermione had been staring at the pink-haired pyro as he tried everything he possibly could in order to free himself from the thick restraints that had him bound to the tree. He'd tried biting through them, pulling on them, and at one point, setting his whole body alight with flame - much to Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's disbelief and alarm - but to no avail.

"Try all you want, Natsu, but your magic won't work on those ropes I tied you with; they're anti-magic ropes." Erza explained to Natsu gently. Fire flew out of Natsu's nostrils whilst he argued "I don't care about that! Just tell me how to break through them!"

"She just explained, you can't, idiot!"

"But those ugly freaks stole my scarf! I have to get it back!"

"Natsu," Lucy put her hand to her heart in that all-too-familiar gesture. Her voice was brimming with emotion as she continued "I _promise_ we'll get your scarf back, but right now, we have to figure out where we are... Or we may never be able to get back. So please, just try to calm down."

Their gazes interlock - Natsu's wild, animalistic glare met Lucy's gentle gaze, and, after a few seconds, Natsu relents.

"Fine," He sulks "I'll be quiet. But if these punks try anything-" Natsu tilted his head in the direction of Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Don't expect me to hold back." And then, for once in his 17 years of life, Natsu falls silent.

"Okay, now that's been taken care of, can you please tell us where we are? We mean you no harm, we swear." Erza promised.

"Your in the Forbidden Forest. In Hogwarts. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Hermione answered, her voice shaking with nerves.

"We also have questions for you, too." said Harry, his voice full of assertion. For a moment, he reminds each of the Fairies of Natsu whenever somebody threatens their guild. It's the same kind of protective anger, the same kind of unwavering loyalty. They could see it in the other two, to some extent, but it was definitely the strongest in Harry. There was no doubt about it.

Fairy Tail's Strongest Team did not know where the hell they were, but they certainly did know one thing: this place was as special to these people as Fairy Tail was to them.

"Who are you?!" Harry demanded. "Are you with the Ministry?! Or are you Death Eaters?!"

"Look, buddy," Natsu began to say, his voice starting to regain it's usually friendly tone. "I don't know who these Ministry clowns are, or those Life Eater-thingys-"

"Death Eaters..." Ron whispered under his breath.

"But we're wizards from Fairy Tail! And we're here to find out where all those missing people went." Natsu finished with his trademark boyish grin, which never failed to bring a smile to Lucy's face.

"Fairy Tail?" Hermione repeated.

"Is that another Wizardry School?" Harry asked, unsure.

"Uh, Harry? Don't you think they look a little... Um... Old... to be still in school?" mumbled Hermione (she was still recovering from the whole 'Grey lost his underwear' incident).

"Y-yeah... Definitely too old..." Ron agreed nervously, as he occasionally flashed awkward glances at Lucy's chest.

"School? We're not kids, we're guild Wizards, on a job. Who're you?!" Grey eyed them suspiciously.

"We're students! This is OUR turf, so you tell US what you're doing here!"

Grey, Natsu, Lucy and Happy all stared dumbfounded at Harry, unsure how hey should answer. Luckily for them, Erza, as always, took control of the situation.

"Well, I don't know for certain... But it is my belief that me and my friends fell through from another world."

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" screamed Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"OH FOR GOD'S SAKE, NOT AGAIN!" screamed Natsu, Lucy, Happy and Grey.

Then Natsu perked up: "Hey, is there another big metal dragon I can fight in this world? Because that would be SO cool!"

"Seriously?!" Grey barked. "We fall into another world with no idea how to get back and THAT'S the first thing you think about? Man, you really bug the crap outta me, y'know?"

"I don't now about you," Ron whispered in Harry's ears "But these guys are really starting to give me a bloody headache..."

Out of nowhere, Hermione suddenly gave out her 'oh-my-gosh-I-know-something-you-don't-and-I'm-not-going-to-explain-it-to-you-until-I've-read-approximately-a-thousand-books gasp, before grabbing her bag and began searching frantically through it.

"Damn it... It's in here somewhere... I swear I put it there... AHA!" Hermione produced a thick leather-bound book from her schoolbag.

Ron groaned."Let me guess..."

"Hogwarts: A History." Harry finished for him. "A book, Hermione's answer to everything."

"Hey, look Lucy! This girls a nerd, just like you!"

"Watch it, Happy!" Lucy warned, although she had to agree, the little guy had a point. She could almost feel the gravitational pull of the book, beckoning her to grab it and not put it down until she had read the whole thing. Twice.

Hermione leafed through the pages at a speed that was almost inhuman. "Look!"

Hermione gently placed the book on the grass, careful not to get it dirty. Using her wand, she gently guided one of the orbs of light towards the aged paper. Both groups of Earthland and Hogwarts wizards gathered around the book. All except Natsu, that is, who was still bound to the tree-trunk.

"Aww! Why can't I have a look?!" Natsu complained.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucy teased, suppressing a giggle. "This book is clearly old, rare, and precious. I'd be an idiot to let you get you flaming hot destuctive hands on it." She looked over and smiled at him, letting him know it was only a joke.

"See here!" Hermione pointed to one paragraph in the upper-left corner of the book. She began to read.

_The Forbidden Forest became 'officially' Forbidden in 1842, when an incident occurred, involving several people claiming to be from a place called 'Earthland' who somehow wandered into the Forest. There have been various different accounts of the story, with some saying that these people were able to utilize magic, but when asked, were unable to produce a wand. Soon after the investigation concerning 'Earthland' started, a body was found in the Forest, which appeared to have been mauled to death by one of the many_ _dangerous creatures that call the forest their home._

There was howl in the distance.

"Eeek!" Lucy squealed as she finished the article. "Um... Guys? I really think we should get out of this place."

"Alriiggghhht!" Natsu cheered. "Now I can finally get out of these things!"

"Aye Sir!" cried Happy.

"Wait." Ordered Harry. He was still suspicious of them. It was understandable for him, really, what with Voldemort being resurrected last year and the Ministry being out to get him. "We're taking you to Professor Dumbledore. He'll know what to do." Harry's eyes softened somewhat, although his fist was still tightly wrapped around his wand. He didn't trust them. Not yet.

"Okay everyone!" Erza addressed her team. "These 3 people are NOT our enemies. We shall allow them to take us to their master. Now then, follow their lead!"

After untying Natsu, the 5 best friends followed Harry, Ron and Hermione into the grounds of Hogwarts, nervous and excited about what they might find.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note: This is just a massive thankyou to anyone who has read, followed, reviewed or favorited this fiction! It makes me **_**so **_**happy to know that you guys like this! Thankyou!**

"Um, can I just ask... What _is_ that thing?" blurted out Harry, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Hey, I have a name you meanie!" Happy shouted angrily. "My name is Happy and I'm a Fairy Tail wizard!"

"Umm..."

"He's a blue flying cat that, as you can tell, talks." Lucy explained like it was the simplist thing in the entire world. "To be exact, he's what you call an Exceed."

"Oh... Right... Okay then. We never studied them in Care for Magical Creatures."

Harry tried to ignore all of the bewildered thoughts that were popping up in his head. Coming from a muggle background, he had, of course, seen and heard some things that had completely boggled his mind since joining the Wizarding World, but he was pretty certain that this was the craziest. Another World? Seriously?! It was all just... Too surreal for him.

It didn't seem to be bothering Ron, however: he just seemed to be happy about finding an excuse for leaving the forest without performing any of the duties that had been assigned to him. You could hear him whistling the school song under his breath as the group got further and further away from the deepest recesses of the Forest - although he did, occasionally, give a little shiver whenever any sort of howl could be heard.

It appeared, however, that Ron wasn't the only one who was having a tough time:

"Guys? This Forest is REEAAALLY starting to creep me out..." Lucy squeaked for the seventh time. "Is it just me who can hear... Footsteps, behind us?"

Suddenly, hands flew out from the darkness and snaked their way around Lucy's body, squeezing her tightly. She began to let out a girlish shriek, but the second she opened her mouth, the right hand slammed itself over here entire face, reducing the scream to a mere distorted gargle.

"_Silence,"_ croaked the low voice that sounded suspiciously like Natsu's. "_I am The Great Fire Demon, who has some to eat your soul for breakfast!"_

"Eeek! No! I'm too young to die! Erza! Grey! Natsu! Help meeeee!"

"Teehee!" came a giggle from behind Lucy. "Man, that was almost too easy! I knew you'd fall for that!"

The hands quickly unraveled themselves from Lucy's torso as Natsu jumped out from behind her, eyes watering from laughter. "I sure had you then!"

Lucy's eyes narrowed, and, for a moment, she appeared to be more fearsome than Erza could ever hope to be (unless someone stole Erza's Strawberry Cheese Cake. Then nobody could rival Erza's wrath).

"QUIT FOOLING AROUND YOU IDIOT!"

And then it came. The Lucy Kick.

Natsu's whole world seemed to stop as he saw the slender leg speed towards him. His entire body froze, and sweat began to pour from his temple. He tensed, braced himself for the pain that was no doubt about to come, even though deep down, he knew that there was no way he could possibly prepare for the attack that was The Lucy Kick.

BANG!

It all happened so fast after that. Her knee rammed into his forehead, causing his vision to blur until all he could see was a confusing swirl of colour. It sent him spiraling back through the air, setting his motion sickness into motion (see what I did there?). Finally, he rammed into a tree truck as his back exploded with pain so blinding, he screamed like a girl.

Natsu!" Happy cried. "Are you okay?!"

"Lu... Cy..." Natsu stammered from the tree. "I'm... So-rry..."

"Oh, you better be." Lucy replied smugly.

"Impressive." Erza complimented with a smile. "You've certainly improved, Lucy."

"Hey, stop complimenting her!" bellowed Natsu. "That was so not fair!"

"You kinda deserved it though, Flame Brain." Grey teased.

"Shut your face, Ice Princess!"

"Blimey..." mumbled Ron under his breath. "That Lucy girl is even worse than you, Hermione."

"Just what are you trying to say Ron?! Hm?!" Hermione snapped back instantly.

"N-nothing!" squealed Ron.

"That's it! I'm going in Horologium now!"

And so, after 15 minutes of bickering, awkward glances, and several 3rd person monologues (courtosy of Horologium, or course) the two Strongest Teams finally arrived infront of the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office.

"Do you know the password, Harry?" Hermione inquired.

Harry shook his head awkwardly, staring at the ground. "I'm afraid not. Dumbledore's barely even spoken to me this year..."

"Let's bust in!" Natsu exclaimed, wearing the devilish grin he always adorns whenever he thinks about destruction.

"Don't you dare!"

"Ow! Okay then, Erza..."

"Are you insane?" Hermione cried incredulously. "You can't just break into our headmaster's office! We'll be expelled!"

"Seriously? You guys get in trouble just for breaking a few things?"

"Of course we do!"

Harry blanked them; he certainly wasn't in the mood to marvel at the sheer weirdness of these people. Instead, he was racking his brains for muggle sweets - that was the key to getting into Dumbledore's office.

"Jelly Babies!"

The gargoyle merely stared at him.

"Um... Midget Jems!"

_Nope, _the Gargoyle seemed to tease with it's ugly gaze. _Not quite._

"Licorice Allsorts!"

Harry breathed a sigh of relief: with that last, wild guess, he seemed to have succeeded. The ground began to shake as the Gargoyle slowly inched forward, revealing the hidden pathway into Dumbledore's lair.

"Ah! Harry Potter!" Dumbledore greeted him as he and his friends entered the room. "And of course, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

For a second, Natsu, Lucy, Erza and Grey were taken swiftly aback. Standing infront of them, wearing a beam that was as fresh as the sunlight, was an old man - an old man who was eerily familiar.

Wavy grey hair. A beard so long it nearly touched the floor. A large, crooked nose. All that was missing was an eyebatch.

"M-Master Hades..." Lucy whispered. "It can't... It can't be!"

Her hands began to shake. Erza's breathing got louder, quicker. Grey slammed his fist into his palm, prepared for battle. Natsu gave him the 'you-better-not-mess-with-my-nakama' look. You know The Look.

The Look in which he furrows his eyebrows and stares straight ahead, his gaze so unwavering that viens begin so pop out of his head. The Look to which he gives anyone who's about to suffer a painful Dragon Slayer beating.

It's The Look he gave to Gajeel.

The Look he gave to Jellal.

The Look he gave to Laxus.

And, of course, The Look he gave to Hades.

"Why, you...!" Natsu growled, his hand igniting itself with bright, orange flame.

"Natsu, stop!" Erza demanded. "That man is not who you think he is!"

"Huh?" he replied, and the fire died out.

"Problem, children?" the smiling old man said. "If there's anything bothering you, feel free to talk to me about it."

"Sir," Erza bowed respectfully. "My name is Erza Scarlet. And these are my companions Lucy, Natsu, Grey and Happy. I believe we somehow fell into your world by accident, and ended up in the forest in the east. Thankfully, those 3 found us and brought us here. If you'll allow us, I would like to explain in more detail later. We apologize for being taken aback when we first saw you: you bear a striking resemblance to somebody from our past... Somebody who we'd all really rather forget."

"Ah... Yes." Dumbledore replied, his voice full of understanding. It was if we knew everything that had transpired on Tenrou Island, and knew how much it had changed them. "Well, we all have our secrets, don't we?"

"Yes." Erza answered seriously. "We most certainly do..."


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, he's certainly not a Ravenclaw, I can tell you that much." the Sorting Hat grumbled as he sat atop Natsu's head.

"What're you tryna' say, you stupid piece of cloth?!" Natsu retorted visiously.

Ron sniggered under his hand, along with the rest of Natsu's friends. Hermione nudged him. "Ron, dont be rude."

"Oh, come on Hermione..."

"Ron!"

"Fine, fine, I'll quit it!"

"Although, you DO appear to have a lot of fight in you. Wow, more than a lot, even. I would hate to be an enemy of yours. GRYFFINDOR it is!"

"Alright!" Natsu laughed. "Is that the Dragon House?"

"There is no dragon house, ya' dimwit!"

"Shut up, Grey! It's still awesome!"

"Okay, who's next?" the Sorting Hat once again grumbled. Much like Ron, Mr Sorting Hat too was getting a headache due to Hogwasts' noisy visitors. Even though he didn't have a head.

"I will go!" announced Erza as she sauntered towards the hat and perched it onto her luscious red hair.

"GRYFFINDOR!" it cried the second it touched her head. That didn't surprise anybody; Erza was the embodiment of everything a Gryffindor was supposed to be. Brave, determind, courageous... Everything.

"Okay, you, young lady, next."

Lucy stepped up to the hat nervously. As it searched through all her thoughts and memories, it mumbled "Hmm... You certainly have the heart of a Hufflepuff... The intelligence of a Ravenclaw... Ooh, but what's this?"

"W-what?"

"YOU SERIOUSLY KICKED THAT BIG GUY WITH THE MUSTACHE AND THE POINTY HAT IN THE NUTS?!"

"Oh, you mean Master Jose? You bet I did!" exclaimed a smug Lucy.

"Lucy can be pretty gutsy when she wants to be, y'know." Grey explained.

Erza nodded. "He was one of the 10 Wizard Saints."

"Well then, GRYFFINDOR!"

"Yes!" cheered Lucy, happy to be in the same House as Erza and Natsu. That only left Grey.

"I think I see where this is going." Grey said arrogantly.

The Sorting Hat gave a noise that wasn't unlike a snigger. "You're not exactly a Ravenclaw either, for all your boasting."

"Don't put me in the same catagory as that bonehead!"

The Sorting Hat ignored him. "Hm... You do have a dark side..."

"Don't we all?" Grey questioned, thinking of Deliora.

"But you're a a good, just person despite that. GRYFFINDOR!"

"Heh, I knew it!"

"Ah, are we all done now?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Why does everyone always forget about meee?!" Happy whined as he blinked back tears.

"Awwwh, it's alright Happy, you're coming with us!" Lucy patted the Exceed on the head.

"Yeah!" added Natsu. "Besides, you don't need that stupid hat, 'cuz we already know that you're the bravest kitty there is!"

"I... I am?"

"Yeah, you are!"

"What do you know?" Lucy said, her hand once again over her heart. "Looks like the dumb cat can be cute after all, huh?"

"Aye," Happy replied, smiling. "Thanks you guys..."

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt this touching scene you're all having, but can I just ask, what is the point in all this?" asked Harry, gesturing to the Sorting Hat. "I mean, shouldn't we be using you energy to be researching how to send these guys back?"

"We told you, we're on a job!" exclaimed the somewhat irritated Grey. "We can't go back without finding out what happened to all the people who went missing. We owe it to their families and friends! We can't just let them down!"

Harry was visibly taken aback; at first, he thought that these people surely had some interior motive, that they were part of the many forces that were working against him. Later, he thought these people were just plain ol' crazy. And now? He was starting to actually respect these people - despite the insane circumstances they had been thrown into against their will, the only thing they really cared about was helping the people they had promised to help. Nothing seemed to phase them, nothing at all.

_If there were more people like these around,_ Harry thought to himself, _then Voldemort may have never returned. In fact, he may have never risen to power in the first place._

Besides, they were Gryffindors, so they couldn't be _that _bad.

"If the best way to figure out this mystery is to pose as students, then so be it. In Fairy Tail, we will go to any lengths possible in order to help people in need." Erza announced, although it was not quite clear to whom she was speaking.

"I'd like to hear more about this Fairy Tail place you speak of at a later date; it sounds delightful."

"You bet, Old Man!" replied Natsu to Dumbledore, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "Fairy Tail is the best!"

"I really think you should adress this man more respectfully, Natsu..." mumbled Lucy.

"That's Natsu for ya'." agreed Happy.

"Now now, off to bed!" Dumbledore clapped his hands swiftly. "You all have a long day ahead of you tomorrow! The House Elves will bring you robes, wands, and everything else you need whilst you sleep. Have a good night!"

"Thanks a lot, sir!"

"We are in your debt."

"We owe you one, mister!"

"Cheers Old Man!"

"Thankyou, Mr Big Beard!"

"Happy, that was rude!" Lucy whispered furiously when they exited Dumbledore's office.

"Shut up, Lucy, you're just jealous because I'm so much more funnier than you!" retorted the Exceed.

"No I am not!"

"Greaaaat, as if one annoying cat wasn't bad enough..." complained Ron moodily. "And I thought Crookshanks was bad..."

"Shut up, Ron."

Ron let a out a huge sigh of exasperation as he carried on. "You're just annoyed because Dumbledore mentioned House Elves, aren't you, Hermione?"

"Now that you mention," Erza butted into the conversation. "What are these House Elves your Master speaks of? They sound fascinating."

"Slaves." Hermione answered automatically. "Slaves who've been brainwashed into believing that they're happy with being manipulated and abused."

"Slaves?!" Erza boomed, her voice shaking with disbelief and fury. "Why... How... Explain... Explain, now!"

"They're not really slaves," groaned Ron. "It's not like their human or anything..."

Ron would soon find out that maybe that wasn't the smartest thing to say.

Erza's whole body began to disappear in a golden shimmer of light that was impossible to look away from. Meanwhile, Lucy snatched up her Flueuve d'etoiles from her belt and pulled it free in one swift movement, flicking it a little so that an ear-shattering 'WHI-CHA!' could be heard echoing throughout the hallway. Her glare was as cold as death.

"Living beings..." Lucy growled, all the friendliness that was once there vanishing with the crack of her whip. "Living beings... Should not be used as slaves! It doesn't matter whether or not they're human, they still have feelings!"

For a second, Ron believed that Lucy was going to hit him, but then soon realized that she was the very LEAST of his worries.

Towering over him, clad in heavy armor that was blacker than the night sky, was a deadly warrior. She gripped a huge sword that was both thick and sharp at the same time, lined with pointed spikes that gleamed in the moonlight.

"Take that back." the warrior ordered, her voice calm, but at the same time, filling with threatening venom. "Take that back... Or I'll make you!"

Ron whimpered, his hands shaking with fear. He was a was supposed to be brave, brave enough to stand by his own opinions, no matter what. But right now, he couldn't. He just couldn't look Erza in the eye - or even Lucy, for that matter - and claim that how they were treating the House Elves was right.

"I'm... I'm sorry." Ron whispered, his voice so hoarse it was barely audible. "I didn't mean it. Honestly, I wasn't thinking..."

After a slight pause, Erza finally answered. "Very well. For now, we will overlook it and accept your apology. However, if you dare to make light of slavery, or the suffering of other living beings again-" she looked directly into his eyes. "We will not hesitate to crush you."

"I... I understand."

Erza began to gllow again, and, quicker than a blink, her old, slightly less intimidating armor had returned in all it's former glory.

"Hermione." Erza addressed her.

"Y-yes ma'am!"

"When we reach the dormitories, would you please explain more to me about these House Elves? I can't just sit back whilst other living beings are being used as tools and do nothing about it."

"Me too," Lucy joined in, her hands absent-mindedly caressing her keys. "If somebody was using my friends to do their bidding, I'd be out of my mind... I have to help them."

"I'd be happy to give you ladies a hand." Grey smiled.

"Me too!" cheered Natsu. "We're a team, right? So we're all in!"

"Aye, sir!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh. These guys were so unbelievably optimistic, it was hilarious.

"Good luck with that!" joined in Harry. "You guys wait until you meet Dobby. He will love you lot."

"Wait!" Natsu stopped suddenly. "I just remembered, I gotta go get my scarf!"

Lucy nodded. "I'll go with you."

"Oh, you don't need to do that. Harry can get it for you, can't you Harry?"

"Hermione..."

"Go on Harry! Show then your summoning spell!"

"Okay, okay, fine!" relented Harry, embarrassed. "Accio Natsu's scarf!"

Seconds passed. Nothing happened.

"Man, this is boring..." moaned Natsu, walking off. "I might as well just go and find it for myself. Lucy, Happy, you comin'?"

Suddenly, a huge mass of white and black whirled around the corner, eventually hitting the unsuspecting Natsu in the face.

"ARRGGHHH! I'M BLIND!"

"Um, Natsu?"

"WOAH!" Natsu yelled when he removed the scarf from his face and slid it round his neck. "That was totally awesome! You gotta teach me how to do that!"

Natsu grabbed Harry by his shoulders and began throttling him vigorously. "C'mon, c'mon, tell me how you did it!"

"Harry's great at that spell," Ron boasted, his voice all of a sudden returning. "He used it to get past a dragon last year."

"A DRAGON?! Was it Igneel?! Did it know Igneel?! Did you fight it?! Did you BEAT it?!"

"Oh, here we go..." murmured Lucy under her breath.

The group finally arrived in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady after ascending about a million staircases. After Hermione offered the password, the painting swung inward to reveal the home-liest looking room the Fairy Tailers had seen in their entire lives.

The fire blazed by the window - an incredibly delectable looking fire too, Natsu noted - filling the room with the sort of warmth that brings back happy childhood memories that were once long forgotten. On the floor lay a worn, woolen rug, surrounded by sofas that looked softer than clouds. Lay infront of the fire, basking in the heat, was a ginger tom cat with a bell dangling from it's neck.

"I sure could get used to this..." said Grey as he plonked himself down on one of the sofas.

BOOM!

"Uh, Grey?" Lucy whispered in his ear. "You may wanna put some underwear on before you make anyone else faint..."

"Huh?" Grey sat up anxiously, only just realizing what had happened. "Aw, crap! Sorry!"

"Hey, this fire tastes great!"

And then the group descended into darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: I apologize if my description of the B.E.S's aren't accurate. I was researching them last night and the descriptions vary. Also, the first part of the chapter may also have a bigger effect if you listen to the Fairy Tail Can Can theme, and the second part if you listen to the battle theme. Anyway, enjoy!**

"My head hurrrrrts..." groaned Grey as he rolled over in his bed.

"Mine too..." Natsu agreed sleepily.

"WHY ARE YOU COMPLAINING?! IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR EATING THE FIRE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"But it looked so delicious!"

Harry, Ron, Natsu and Grey were all nursing the several lumps that had grown on their heads last night. After the fire went out (well, got eaten, to be exact), the group had fumbled through the darkness for what felt like hours on end in order to reach the dormitories, sustaining various injuries along the way - the majority of those being, of course, on the head.

After a few seconds, Ron jumped up out of his bed and began to throw on his robes. "I'm so hungry! Hurry up Harry, or everything's gonna be gone!"

"You mean..." Natsu's face lit up with childish excitement "...Food?!"

"Will there be fish?!" interjected Happy.

"There'll be everything you could ever ask for, mate." Ron told them. "That's the best thhing about Hogwarts!"

Happy and Natsu exchanged maniacal grins before scrambling out of bed and rushing to get out the door.

"Wait up, you idiots!" Grey called after them. "Natsu, you don't even have pants on yet!"

"Oh yeah? Since when did you care about clothes, Ice Stripper!"

"What did you just call me?!" Grey growled. "You wanna come over here and say that again?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do!" Natsu charged forward. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist! Ha! How'd ya' like that, Ice Stripper!"

Grey rubbed his cheek that Natsu had just struck with his flaming fist, cursing fiercely.

"Aguamenti!" cried out Ron. "Natsu, you're on fire! Aguamenti! AGUAMENTI!"

Water was spraying everywhere, flooding the entire room; it splashed on the faces of all innocent sleepers, making them somewhat... Irritated.

"Ron, you idiot!" Seamus yelled, his thick Irish accent combined with his fury making the words almost unintelligible "What the bloody hell did you do that for?!"

"I was trying to put out the bloody fire, that's why!"

"And I was tryna' sleep!" screamed Seamus as he kicked Ron in the balls.

Ron howled. "You... You bastard!" he replied, adding a punch in the stomach for good measure.

"Oi! Don't pick on my mate!" Dean joined in.

"...And don't pick on my mate, either!" added Harry, his wand at the ready.

Meanwhile, Natsu and Grey were still in the midst of battle, punching, kicking, and violently grappling with eachother unto no end.

"Ice-Make Lance!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Ice-Make Battle Axe!"

"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

_Drip, drip, drop. _The whisper of the water brought Grey to his senses. _Not her, _Grey thought, his heart rate increasing rapidly. _Anything but her... I mean, she couldn't have followed me to another world, could she?_

He didn't think so. But then again, this was Juvia Lockser he was thinking about. _With her,_ Grey thought with a shiver_, anything is possible._

"Natsu! I'll finish this later, but for now, I gotta hide!"

"Alriiiiiight!" Natsu cheered, holding his hands up high in victory. "This means I win by default! Hahaha!"

He began to run excitedly round the room like a crazed toddler, his whole body burning with deadly hot Dragon Slayer Flames.

"What do you think you're doing?!" the 4 remaining wizards questioned him aggressively.

Natsu froze. "Huh?"

And so, all pandemonium broke loose.

Meanwhile, in the girls dormitories...

"Erza? Are you sure it was a good idea to leave _those two _alone together?" Lucy asked as she rolled her eyes at the room next door.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Erza reassured her calmly. "Besides, they have Happy with them, don't they? He's bound to keep them in check."

Lucy wasn't so sure about that. She kept having mental images of Happy cowering under the table while Natsu and Grey duked it out in an all-guns-blazing battle, or sneaking down to the kitchens when nobody was looking to get some fish. But whatever. She supposed she would just have to trust Erza's judgement on this.

"Look!" Hermione pointed at the neatly folded bundles at the bottom of Lucy and Erza's beds. "Your stuff was delivered!"

"Oh wow!" exclaimed Erza with an eager glint in her eye. "These robes have the most amazing texture! And this witches hat is just adorable!"

Hermione let out an awkward laugh; she could hardly believe that this was the same woman that had threatened to 'crush' Ron last night. She seemed so happy and vibrant and, well... Feminine.

"You're surprised aren't you?" chuckled Lucy. "Y'know, Erza can actually be really girly when you get to know her."

"So," Erza turned round, flicking her hair a little in the process. "How do I look?"

The answer to that was easy: she looked fantastic. The long black robe hung and curved in just the right places, presenting a figure that many would give their lives for. The pointed hat was slightly lopsided, and was in prefect contrast to her brilliant, shining hair.

"You look perfect as always, Erza!"

"Y-yeah," Hermione agreed, trying not to let the jealousy she was feeling seep into her voice. "You look splendid!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"About what I said before..."

Erza let out an embarrassed sigh. "We better go check on them."

After pulling on the rest of their uniforms, Hermione, Lucy and Erza rushed towards the boys dormitories, only to be greeted with an entire world of total destruction.

And that isn't even an exaggeration: the room looked like it had just recently torn apart by a tsunami. Piles of tattered wood that were once beds lay scattered across the room; the carpet was soaking, and filled with huge, gaping holes; the windows were shattered, broken in to tiny pieces; and, of course, people were injured.

"Crap, we gotta get outta' here now!" Natsu panicked as he barged past the girls into the common room.

"Sounds good to me!" Grey said.

"Not so fast." Erza grabbed them both by the scruffs of their necks. "Just what exactly happened here, boys?"

"Nothing!" Natsu and Grey called out in unison.

"Nothing?! The entire dorms been wrecked?!" Lucy gasped in disbelief.

Hermione clapped her hands over her face. "You are going to be in SO much trouble for this... Where are Harry and Ron? Surely THEY would've been able to put a stop to this."

"They're, uh, over there..." Grey pointed at the two figures that lay sprawled, unconscious on the floor.

Lucy and Hermione hurried over to help them. Hermione gently shook them, all the while whispering "C'mon, c'mon, please get up!" Lucy, however, surprised everyone by slapping the pair across the faces.

"Ow!" Ron cried out as he snapped upright suddenly. A second later, Harry did the exact same thing.

"Hermione..." Harry groaned. "What did you do that for?!"

Hermione harrumphed. "Why do you automatically assume it was me who hit you across the face? It was Lucy, you imbeciles!"

And she immediatly pulled them both into a tight embrace.

"I dunno," Ron said groggily. "Hitting us across the face is the sort of thing you'd do, Hermione, so we just kind of guessed."

Hermione shook her head. "Just hurry up and get out of here before anyone finds us."

"Looks like our guild causes destruction no matter what world we're in..." Lucy whimpered.

"Woah, is this your Guild Hall?" Natsu asked them when they reached the Great Hall. "This place is huge! So much food!"

"Aye Sir!" came a shout from their right. Happy came flying over, a smile on his face and a fish in his mouth.

"So that's where you disappeared to? I was starting to worried about you, buddy." Natsu gently stroked his best friends head.

"I knew it! I knew the little fur-ball would go get a fish!"

"Wow, Lucy's psychic!"

"I'm not psychic, you're just predictable!"

"What's a guild?" Ron murmured to Harry from the corner of his mouth.

"No idea."

"Happy!" Hermione hissed. "What're you doing here?! Nobody's supposed to know that you're from another world; you'll blow their cover!"

"Geez!" Happy exclaimed. "You're even meaner than Lucy!"

"Hey! I am delightful!"

"Shut up, Lucy."

"Grrrr... Stupid Cat..."

"Ahh, itsh willst be feene." reassured Natsu, his mouth stuffed full of sausages and bacon. "Nobody willst notish."

"Of course they'll notice! He's a flying cat!"

Without warning, the shrill ring of the bell began to resonate all throughout the building.

"Hurry up Natsu, we gotta get to class."

"Shuddup Grey!"

"You shut up, Natsu!"

"Both of you, silence!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

By the time Natsu, Grey, Erza, Lucy, Happy, Harry, Ron and Hermione reached Hagrid's Hut, the sun had risen high in the sky, illuminating the castle with a beautiful orange glow.

"Wow..." Erza gasped. "This place... Is so brilliantly gorgeous..." She stared up at the sky, and a radiant grin appeared on her face. "Ahhh..."

"Guys, I think Erza may have a screw loose..."

"I thought I told you to leave, you'll blow our cover!"

When all the students had all (reluctantly) gathered for their lesson, Hagrid began to adress them.

"Alrigh' everbody, I go' a big surprise for ya'll 'oday!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione all exchaned worried glances.

"Don't tell me..." Hermione groaned.

"The B.E.S's are coming out." Ron finished for her darkly. "That's all Hagrid's big surprises ever mean.

"Now, you lot, 'oday, we're gon' - "

"Holy crap you're big!"

"Shut up Grey, that's what I was gonna say!"

"Wow, he's even bigger than Lucy's Cow-Man!"

"So... So huge..."

"You guys are so rude!"

Hagrid did his best to ignore them. "So, um, ye', as I was sayin'..."

But he was abruptly cut off as something huge crawled out from the depths of the forest. It's silvery shell was slimy, and coated with some sort of green, gooey substance. Legs were curved at seemingly random angles, and stuck out of all the wrong places. Deadly sharp, lethal-looking talons were letting out an earshattering _click-clack-clock_ at the end of each leg.

"Everyone, stay back!" Erza ordered. "Me and my team will take care of this!"

"Wai'! Wai'!" Hagrid tried to stop them, but of course, when they were all fired up like this, nobody could stop Fairy Tail's Strongest Team.

As the thing approached them - it was a Blast Ended Skrewt to be exact - the 4 of them began to attack in perfect, well-practiced formation.

First off was Grey: "Ice-Make Floor!". As his palm and fist hit the floor, the very air around them seemed to grow cold, freezing even. All color began to seep out of the green grass, and, before anyone could even see what was going on, the entire floor had transformed into sparkling ice. The Blast-Ended Skrewt skidded desperatly, trying to get back up on it's feet. It failed. And failed. And failed again. Grey gave his lopsided grin and a thumbs up to show he was done.

Now it was Lucy's turn: she leapt up high in the air, and released her Fleuve d'Toiles. It's blue and gold colors twinkled in the sunlight as it spiraled, captivating the audience. Her hand twisted and turned in a hundred different directions, so quickly it was a blur, and as if by magic (well, I suppose you could say it WAS magic) the whip had wrapped itself around the creature so tightly it squealed in pain; it was unable to move.

Thirdly, it was the Fairy Queen herself, Titania Erza: she disappeared in that vibrant beam of light, and appeared the next second in the most beautiful armor in existence. She flew up in the air with her silver wings, and, just for a moment, she looked like an angel sent by God. A sword materialized in her hand, and, like a King signalling or war, she held it up in the air. More swords appeared in midair beside her, and by the time she had about 100, she swung the hand that was holding the sword up high down. "Heaven's Wheel!" she exclaimed, and all the swords begin to dance. They plummetted down towards the creature like rain, until the Skrewt was impaled with each and every one of them.

"Alright! Now it's my turn!"

If the Skrewt wasn't dead already, it soon would be. Because now, it was the Dragon Slayers turn. The air that was freezing cold only a minute ago became hot, hotter than the sun itself. Natsu's whole body exploded into a mass of flame so thick his body was no longer visible. He crouched down on his knees and shot up towards the sky, leaving a trail of fire behind him. His cheeks puffed out, and he twisted his back backwards.

"Fire Dragon's... Roooaaaaaarr!"

The world was consumed by a deadly red heat that spurted out his mouth. It seemed never ending. And the roar: the sound of his Dragon Roar was captivating. It shook the grass, the trees, maybe even the very earth itself. It wasn't human; no human could ever make a noise like that.

It was the roar of a Dragon. There was no other possible explanation.

Everyone began to clap, thinking that this was success.

However, when Natsu's fire dissipated, no creature was to be seen. Only Hagrid's burning hut.

"Somebody!" Lucy cried out. "Somebody give me a glass of water! I'll take care of this, you guys go after the monster!"

As Natsu, Grey and Erza went to chase after the Skrewt, lead by Natsu's nose, there came a few murmurs from the class - mainly Hagrid's sobs of "Me' 'ouse... Me' 'ouse..." and "She thinks she can put out a fire with a bottle of water?" - until somebody, eventually, threw a bottle at Lucy's face.

"Ow!" Lucy cried before picking it up off the floor. "Okay everyone, watch this!"

She held an oddly shaped yet beautifully crafted golden key in her hand. She closed her eyes, breathed in the air, and swung it in a cross formation. "Open! Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!"

"How dare you summon me to this place?! From a bottle of water?!"

"Umm..."

"And what the hell are you wearing? You look like an ugly tramp. No wonder you don't have a boyfriend."

"Shut up! Just put the damn fire out already!"

"Since when have I taken orders from you?"

"Just do it!"

Aquarius help her water pot up high and grinned her evil-bitch grin, ready to strike...

"Oh... Oh crap..."

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	7. Chapter 7

"...Crap..." Lucy said in a barely audible whimper. "Natsu...? ...Erza? ...Grey? ...Loke?...SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

"Heh." Aquarius swung her water pot with an aggressive snarl. Lucy opened her mouth to scream, yet it was quickly swallowed by the waves. Soon, she was surrounded by a blue hurricane, unable to move a single muscle. Water flooded her ears and mouth as she gasped for breath. The world had completely transformed into an ocean of Aquarius's fury.

It lasted for roughly two minutes. To Lucy, it felt like forever.

When the water finally ran dry, and Aquarius had offered up her last malicious comment ("Well, I put out the fire... Happy now, Bitch?") before disappearing, Lucy found herself lying amongst the ruins that were once Hagrid's Hut, half-drowned and motionless.

"Awh, come on! These robes were fresh on!" she complained, before realizing the state of the property she was supposed to save. Her face paled. Then, she began to panic.

"Oh my God! I have to put this back together, I have to! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it'll be fixed right away sir I swear!"

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He'd sank down to his knees in despair, and threw his face into his hands. "Me 'ouse... Me 'ouse!"

Meanwhile Lucy frantically began picking up random pieces of debris that were scattered across the area and forcing them together with superglue she produced from seemingly nowhere. "Arrrgh! I don't know what I'm doing! Harry, Ron, Hermione, a little help over here?!"

"...You guys actually hang around with this crazy chick?" somebody snickered from the back of the class.

"Yeah, I bet Potter just wants to squeeze her-"

Hermione then proceeded to punch Draco Malfoy in the face. For the second time.

"C'mon Ron, Harry. Let's go help her."

Ron and Harry flashed each other bewildered looks, before bursting into a bout of rautious laughter. Ron gave her a rather manly pat on the back. "I love you, Hermione."

Her head snapped round. "_What?!"_

Ron jumped about a mile. "I-I mean, as a friend."

"...Okay."

Hermione gingerly got down on her hands and knees as she pointed at the section of wood that Lucy was currently grappling with. "Reparo!"

The scattered pieces of debris gently lifted themselves off the ground and floated towards Hermione, as if by magnetic attraction. In front of her, they began to swirl and connect, until eventually they formed a petite wooden stool that was somewhat worn, but still function-able. Lucy clapped her hands together with glee.

"Woah! That was so cool! You're magic actually fixes things, instead of destroying them... We could really use this spell back at the guild!"

"What _is_ your magic, anyway? It's sort of... Odd."

Lucy launched herself into a slightly over-complicated explanation into her keys, celestial spirits and contracts whilst Hermione listened intently; the boys, on the other hand, were regretting her ever asking.

Meanwhile, in the depths of the forest...

"Hey! Big Ugly Thing! Come out and fight me!"

"Quit hiding, you scoundrel! Fight us with honor!"

"Man, this thing is annoying." Grey mumbled. "One minute it's right in front of us, and the next it disappears in a cloud of fire? There's something not right about it."

"I see what you mean..." Erza agreed. "However, for now, our highest priority is to find the beast. We can't have it causing more and more destruction wherever it goes."

"Yeah! Only Fairy Tail's allowed to do that!"

_Click-Clack-Clock..._

Erza re-quipped a sword out of nowhere. "Did you hear that?"

_Click-Clack-Clock..._

"It's coming."

_Click-Clack..._

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Natsu hit the Skrewt on it's left side, causing it to fly through the air until it hit the nearest tree trunk. The tree rattled, and then slowly collapsed into the next tree. And the next one. And the one after that. The trees had become dominoes, one falling after the other in an endless circle. The wildlife cried out in fear and confusion of what was happening to their home. Little did they know that the worst was yet to come.

"Ice-Make Hammer!"

Directly above it, an enormous chunk of mallet-shaped ice dropped down on it. A strangled cry escaped it as it sank deeper into the ground. It's silvery shell cracked like an egg under the pressure.

"A weak spot!" Erza exclaimed, before flying towards the creature that very instant. She re-quipped into her Purgatory armor - the most powerful and terrifing in all her arsenal - and plunged the thick, blunt end of the heavy sword down onto it's already badly damaged shell. "That should do it!"

_CRACK!_

It finally broke. The tiny pieces rained down on them, like a sort of silvery snow. It was kind of beautiful, in a way.

Erza felt triumphant. She loved the thrill of the chase, the suspense of the hunt, the heat of the battle, and the glory of the kill. In all her years of being a wizard, she had never once tired of the excitement of vanquishing monsters. Some were more difficult to defeat than others, of course, but that only makes the whole endevour more worthwhile in the end; you gain experience, and that experience could save your life someday.

"We totally owned that beast." Grey boasted.

"Damn right we did!" Natsu beamed. The pair then proceeded to bump fists - a rarity among those two, indeed.

"...And we did it without destroying half of the forest. I must say, I am rather impressed." said a very content Erza. "Now, shall we head back to the class and see how Lucy is doing? I do hope-"

However, she was rudely interrupted by the rumble of movement in the background.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" she demanded as her head immediatly snapped round. And she was greeted by... Nothing. There was nothing there except the now slain monster, and the trunks of the trees that had fallen due to Natsu's destructive power. Absolutely nothing.

Hm. Must've just been her imagination.

_Rustle... Rustle..._

Or not.

"I said, who's there?!" she summoned one of her best swords and flung it in the direction of the noise. She moved so fast that the action was impossible to predict, impossible to see, and impossible to dodge. Well, she was the Titania, after all. Of course, it hit it's target.

Grey's face turned the same color as his name as he saw what Erza had captured. Natsu covered his mouth with his hands. "Ugh... This thing is makes me feel worse than the train..."

"I can see where ya' coming from, man..."

Their reaction was understandable; it was disgusting. It was horrific enough WITH it's shell, but without? Well, you really don't wanna see that. But because I am one sadistic writer, I will describe it to you in graphic detail the best I can.

It was covered in suckers - they were blood red, almost like the lips of a vampire. Slime of the thickest kind poured out of them relentlessly, like gross tears of sadness for it's capture. The slime emitted a vomit-esque vapor that sizzled and popped, and waved around in the wind. Even Erza, Natsu and Grey gagged from the vulgar display, and they had seen some pretty vile things in their time (e.g, Ichiya's 'Super-Hunky' face).

Erza's eyes widened in shock. "Natsu! As soon as I give the order, bite that thing's back!"

"W-whaaaaaat?!"

Grey erupted into hysterical laughter. "You'd better do what she says Flame Brain, you know what'll happen if you don't, right?"

"But... Look at that thing! It's uglier than Master Bob!"

"I don't care! Just do as I say!"

"Uggghhhh..."

"Ready? Go!"

"I can't believe I'm doing this..." Natsu groaned as he sank his canines into the soggy beast. It tasted like chicken.

BOOOOOOOM!

Natsu's mouth nearly exploded with the hot, fiery flavor that hit his taste buds with the blast. His cheeks inflated to a humongous size (they were even bigger than KAIN'S, for crap's sake!) before he swallowed the somewhat spicy(?) mixture.

"That... That actually tasted pretty good!"

"That's gross, pyro!"

"Whatever, just hurry up and kill it!"

"Why do I have to kill it?!"

"Cuz me and Erza practically did the rest!"

"Tch... Fine. Ice-Make Lance!"

And so, that was the end of Mr. Skrewt.

_**10 minutes later...**_

"Ye' killed 'im! Ye' killed mi' Baby Bessie!"

"Um, excuse me, Sir?"

"Ye' monsters... Firs' ye' destroy me' 'ouse... Then ye' kill me' sweet Bessie... Monsters, ye' are!"

Lucy sighed to herself.

"Can't we ever do anything right?"

**Note: so that was the end of the whole Blast-Ended Skrewt saga. Next chapter will be 'Special Mission: The House Elf Liberation Front!'**


	8. Chapter 8

**Note: Hey guys! Sorry I've not updated in a while... I had 10 exams in one week, so I'm pretty beat. Also, I've been reading 'Song of Susannah', which is pretty much unputdownable (if that's even a word), so that took up some time as well. Oh, and by the way, the first part of this chapter is for sexyblossom08... I know you wanted naked Grey ;D Enjoy!**

"...So that's the plan."

Hermione's statement was greeted with collective nods all round. They understood.

"Okay then. So tomorrow morning, we'll all meet back here and split into teams. Harry, remember to bring the map, cloak, and Dobby."

Harry nodded somewhat reluctantly. "I will."

"Very well then. I shall see you all in the morning."

"Hermione!" Grey shouted as he violently slammed open the door to the girls dorm. "Hermione!"

However, he was only met by screams.

"N-N-Naked man!"

"Pervert!"

"Freak!"

"Stripper!"

"D-Don't tell me..." Grey stammered as he dared to look down at his lower body. "Don't tell me... OH FOR CRAP'S SAKE! NOT AGAIN!"

His yell was drowned out by all the bangs and clatters caused by the collapsing from every single bed - minus two of course. Girls were keeling over one by one everywhere he looked, so rapidly he began to lose count. His face was cherry-red, and even hotter than Natsu's flames. He had really done it this time.

"Grey..." Erza was scowling at him. The look in her eyes was cold and devoid of all emotion, but Grey didn't need her eyes to tell him what was coming. He already knew all too well.

She jumped straight out of bed, clad immediatly in her 'everyday' armor. Her fingers closed around his ears - tightly.

"YOU. DO. NOT. EVER. ENTER. A. ROOM. WEARING. ABSOLUTELY. NOTHING! Personally I don't mind it, but just look at what you did to all these innocent girls! You've corrupted their minds!"

"Grey." Lucy placed her hand firmly on his shoulder. "I seriously think it's time that you got proffessional help."

"I don't need help!"

"Ah." Lucy wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Denial. I should have known. Just know that whatever happens, me, Erza, Natsu, and Happy, along with the rest of Fairy Tail, will ALWAYS be there to support you, no matter what."

_"WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP TALKING LIKE I'VE GOT A FREAKING TERMINAL ILLNESS?!"_

"It's okay, Grey. You don't have to hide anymore."

Somewhere in the corner, a slight sound of someone stirring could be heard. A survivor. Lucy stopped 'comforting' Grey to rush over and help her whilst Erza was still 'punishing' Grey for his sins (geez, Erza and Virgo should really get together sometime, Lucy thought darkly).

"Hey, are you alright? What's your name?" she asked the girl soothingly.

"L-Lavender Brow- ARRRRGH!"

The lone survivor's eyes widened. She had seen it. Again. Her brain couldn't cope with it, and nor could her body - she fainted, unconscious, into Lucy's arms. Lucy laid her down onto one of the soft beds.

"Any idea how we're gonna resuscitate Hermione?" She asked in a whisper, careful ot to wake the sleeping girls - not that she would've, of course. They had seen enough to keep them asleep for quite awhile.

"No idea. Just put her on my back and I'll carry her until she wakes up."

Lucy sniggered to herself. "Juvia's not gonna be very happy about that... Then again, that'll be one less crazy water woman who wants to kill me... Teehee."

Once they had joined up with the others - and re awoken Hermione of course - Grey began to tell everyone his new strategy. They listened intently. One by one, they each began to grin. This was going to be one hell of an escape.

It was time to move.

Hermione gulped as she headed down the stairs with Grey. Her face grew red at the memory of waking up on his warm, strong back. She remembered clutching his broad shoulders tightly, as though she was hanging on for dear life. He was so comfortable. And now, as he ran shirtless in front of her, she couldn't help but admire just how _cool _he was, how collected, how _in control._ The complete opposite of Harry and Ron, Hermione noted.

_Snap out of it, Hermione, _she shook her head vigorously. _What on earth are you thinking?_

"You okay back there? Not nervous or anything?"Grey turned to her wearing his trademark lopsided grin. Hermione nodded as she felt her heart flutter.

Meanwhile...

"Ow! Ouch!"

"Why do you have to be so bulky Lucy?" Happy whined. "We could all fit under here so easily if you lost a few pounds..."

"You are so mean! And besides, I'm pretty sure Firebreath over here is the the bulky one!"

The slightly grumpy threesome were all squashed together underneath the Invisibility Cloak, accompanied by Dobby, who was leading them to Hogwart's kitchens. Sat atop the House Elf's head were approximately 50 hand knitted woolen hats, each on made personally by Hermione. At the entrance, Lucy took out another beautifully crafted key.

"Um... That isn't the same thing that destroyed Hagrid's Hut, is it, Miss?"

"What?! No! Of course not! ...I really hope I don't get a bad reputation from destroying stuff..."

"I think it's awesome!" Natsu reassured her. "Now you're just like me and Erza, and even that jerk Grey!"

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of!"

"WHY DOES EVERYONE ALWAYS FORGET ABOUT ME?!" Happy cried.

"Sorry Happy, but you're not exactly destructive."

"...Unless you're in my house, that is." Lucy added somewhat irritably. In fact, you can scrap the 'somewhat' - she was getting VERY irritable.

Happy opened his mouth to give a sassy comeback (probably something about Lucy never having a boyfriend, or being heavy, or something like that.) however, he was cut off as they entered the magnificent kitchen. The first thing they noticed was the steam: thick, grey clouds of it hung over them, making the view so murky it takes a few seconds for their eyes to adjust. Despite the dullness of the steam, however, the atmosphere it created was warm, and sort of cosy. Hundreds of House Elves pottered about the kitchen, balancing plates stacked with food on their hands, arms, and heads. Each one had a huge, beaming smile on their face that stretched ear to ear. Although, unlike Dobby, each one was also wearing nothing but a thin, stained rag. Natsu and Lucy took one long look at eachother - it was all they needed to exchange thoughts. They both thought that something wasn't right here... Definitely not right. It was the same creeping feeling they got when they first saw Professor Dumbledore.

"Hey, Luce..." Natsu whispered in her ear.

"Yeah, I know." she finished, knowing exactly what he was going to suggest. She closed her eyes and gently placed her hand onto one of her silver keys - the one with the cross carved into it. She took a long intake of breath before once again opening her eyes. "He's on it. Crux has never failed me before, and I doubt he will now. We'll have answers soon enough."

"Haha! It's a good thing we have Lucy on our team, right Happy?"

"Aye! You're the best!"

"Thanks guys..." Lucy smiled, blushing.

Dobby approached a tall, squinty eyed House Elf. She stood right in the center of the room, observing everything with her cold, intimidating gaze, her arms tightly folded. All the other elves seemed to cower in her presence, and shuffled along hastily whenever they caught her eyes. She had no mouth, no lips; all she had was a thin scar running roughly 1cm down from her nose.

Natsu's face paled. "...I think we've just seen this world's freaky version of Erza!"

Lucy shook her head. "Don't be silly. This woman... I mean Elf... I mean... Well, I don't know, but she's way more like Kagura."

"Nope, that's definitely Erza." Happy interjected.

"No way! It's Kagura!"

"I'm with Happy on this; it's scary enough to be Erza!"

"I swear, it's Kagura!"

"No, Erza!"

"Kagura!"

"Erza!"

"Kagura!"

"Er-"

Dobby flashed them a glare and abruptly snapped his fingers. Suddenly, Natsu felt a sharp, rising pain in his throat. A strangled gargle escaped him as his hands threw themselves to his throat. He attempted to cry out in agony, yet, no matter how hard he tried, it only led to more silence and more pain. Lucy placed her hand on his chest, and opened her mouth to give him some reassuring words. However, as her voice began to rise from her throat, she was only greeted by the same tight, uncomfortable sensation.

_That little... _Lucy trailed off in a series of curses. _He jinxed us! The little goblin jinxed us!_

Her eyes met Natsu's and she frantically gestured to the Free Elf that stood only a few feet in front of them. _It's him! _she tried to tell him in sign language. _It's Dobby who did this to us!_

But Natsu just stared back at her, bewildered. Well, Natsu never was the brightest crayon in the pencil case.

Dobby timidly approached the looming figure that Natsu, Lucy and Happy had been arguing over just a second earlier.

"So, um, Miss Kagura - "

Lucy aggressively pointed at Natsu in an 'In your face!' gesture.

"What, um, what..."

Dobby started kicking Natsu in the shins. Natsu glared. Lucy's eyes widened. She held Gemini's key up high in the air in one hand, and shoved the Invisibility Cloak off them with the other. Then Natsu realized what was going on. He grinned and ignited his fist with his flames. His voice miraculously came back.

"Alright guys! Time for freedom!"

**Note: Sorry it's kinda short.**


	9. Chapter 9

"So, guard duty huh? Very well then. I shall guard this kitchen until my very last breath, until my sword shatters and my spirits get crushed! I shall fight!" Erza requipped a silver sword that shimmered in the light, and brandished it around as if battling an imaginary opponent. Harry and Ron took one long, desperate look at each other, before simultaneously rolling their eyes.

"How on earth did we get dragged into this?" wondered a rather depressed Harry.

"We should really stop letting Hermione bully us into things like this..." sighed Ron.

Erza's ear twitched. She heard footsteps approach her; footsteps, accompanied by the shrill shrieks of typical girlish laughter. She didn't trust it. She didn't trust it one bit. As Padma and Pavarti Pavil came around the corner, Erza Scarlet the Titania drew her sword.

"Halt! You are forbidden to pass through here! Now, turn around and go back to where you came from, or taste the fury of my blade!"

However, the reaction Erza got was certainly not what she expected. Instead of cowering in fear of her legendary wrath, or standing proud, ready to fight, she received a sort of condescending, bewildered look. It was if they were confused and disgusted all at the same time, and it was making them angry. Not just angry in general, however; all their anger was directed at _her. _After a few seconds of the two girls sharing this look, they burst out laughing.

Did they think she was some sort of weakling? That she was unworthy of even the slightest bit of recognition, the slightest bit of acknowledgement? That she was completely insignificant? She had met bandits with more honor than that! _I mean, _Erza thought to herself irritably, _it's only plain manners to respectfully accept or decline a challenge from an opponent, whether they are powerful enough to rival you or not! You don't just laugh in someone's face! Completely disgraceful! I am an S-Class wizard of the Fairy Tail Guild and I refuse to be spoken to in such a derogatory way!_

Her pupils disappeared in her rage, and veins began to aggressively pop out of her head. She could no longer hold it in.

"YOU DARE LAUGH AT ME? YOU DARE LAUGH AT A FAIRY TAIL WIZARD? PREPARE TO MEET YOUR END!"

Harry and Ron desperately grabbed onto Erza's armor, fearing for Padma and Pavarti's safety - heck, maybe even their lives. Unfortunately for them, the pair soon found that trying to hold The Fairy Queen back from a battle would be akin to sitting on the back of a huge, raging bull.

"LET ME GO! LET GO OF ME THIS VERY INSTANT, OR YOU TOO SHALL MEET YOUR END!"

"Erza, calm down! We have a plan we're supposed to be going through with, remember?"

"Calm down?!" Erza spat like the term was completely foreign to her. "CALM DOWN?! HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME TO BE CALM WHEN GIRLS SUCH AS THESE THINK IT'S PERFECTLY ACCEPTABLE TO LAUGH AT MY PRESENCE, TO LAUGH AT THE PRESENCE OF FAIRY TAIL! WE WILL NEVER FORGIVE THEM!"

"Don't try and talk sense into her Harry! This woman is too crazy to listen to reason! Just do your best to hold her back!"

"LET GO OF ME!"

Okay, now that our check-up with Erza is over... It's back to Natsu, Happy, and Lucy!

"Alright guys! Time for freedom!"

Lucy held up the key she had gotten out earlier high in the air, with a look of absolute determination on her face. "Open! Gate Of The Ram! Aries!" Aries barely had the time to mutter an unneeded apology before Lucy ordered: "Aries! Please! I need a smokescreen!"

Aries nodded. "I am very sorry, ma'am... Wool Bomb!"

From Aries' hands grew a thick, pink, cotton candy-like substance, that just expanded and expanded the whole room was filled to the brim with the celestial wool. Everything that was further than 1cm from Natsu, Lucy and Happy's immediate vision was rendered indistinguishable - hopefully, it was the same for the Elves, too.

"Okay Natsu, you're up!" Lucy gave him her dorky grin and an even dorkier thumbs up. He returned the favor, his nose twitching.

"Listen up, Kagura, whoever the hell you are... You better watch out, 'cuz you're about to get-" guided by his nose, he zoomed towards her direction, his flaming fist extended and at the ready. "-BURNED!"

He hit her across the face. She collapsed to the floor, with no resistance whatsoever.

"Ka-POW!" Happy exclaimed for effect, raising his paw into the air.

Lucy then whipped up another one of her keys from her belt: this time, it was Gemini. "Aries, thanks a lot! You can go home now... Open, Gate Of The Twins, Gemini!"

There was a puff of smoke and Aries had disappeared, and was replaced by two tiny, unusual blue creatures that floated effortlessly in midair.

"I'm Gemi!"

"And I'm Mini!"

"What would you..."

"...Like us to do for you, Miss Lucy?"

"Hey guys! Listen, I need you to turn into that Elf over there, okay? You can see her, right? Celestial Spirits can see through this wool, can't they?"

"Yes! Of course we can, Miss Lucy!"

"Great! Now, once you turn into her, you gotta round up all the House Elves, and gather them as near to the back doors as possible. Then, could you please unlock that door in order to let Grey and Hermione inside?"

"Ea-"

"-Sy!"

As the fog/cotton candy/celestial wool started to clear, Natsu hoisted The Real Kagura's limp body with him under the Invisibility Cloak, closely followed by Lucy and Happy. The threesome waited expectantly, keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that Gemini wouldn't mess up.

"Everyone," Gemini/Kagura the Elf spoke voice was quiet, yet affirming, much like the Kagura that lived back in Earthland. She possessed that same strict kind of charisma, very similar to Erza's, although it was certainly a lot harsher. It was no surprise that she was the commander and chief of all these elves; much like it was no surprise when they found out Kagura was in charge of Mermaid Heel's team in the Grand Magic , all the House Elves turned nervously in order to listen to what she had to say. "I need all of you to gather over here, please. No stragglers!"

Lucy was impressed: Gemini had gotten more skilled since they first met. Way back when Fairy Tail had joined the coalition in order to wipe out the Oracion Seis, Gemini's transformations had never lasted for very long, and, from Lucy's deduction of Angel, drained vast amounts of magic energy from both the spirit and the key holder. Now, however, as Gemini kept up a pretty much flawless transformation, Lucy could barely feel even the slightest drop of magic energy be drained from her. Maybe she had gotten stronger, too.

Once all the House Elves had timidly gathered in the space Gemini had allocated for them, and had unlocked the huge chamber door, everything was set. The plan was in place. All Natsu, Lucy and Happy had to do now was wait, and trust their comrades.

"Ice-Make Slide!"

Millions of beautiful ice crystals rapidly joined together in order to form a gigantic, spiraling slide. At the bottom of the slide, the ice curved suddenly upwards, in a perfect 'U' shape. The tip of the slide was deadly sharp, possibly even sharper than the talons of the Blast-Ended Skrewt. In other words, it's not exactly the type of slide you see in your local neighborhood park.

The House Elves stood, eyes opened earnestly wide, and marveled at the magic they had just witnessed. Sure, they had magic, and sure, the magic they had as wonderful, miraculous, brilliant... But this! This was a whole new level, like nothing they had ever seen before!

Hermione began to quickly wave her wand, her hand nothing but a blur, whilst murmuring in some sort of messed-up Latin. Her wand spurted thick pieces of string, which knotted together to form cloth, cloth which then joint together with _more _cloth, to create jumpers and skirts, hats and scarves, even gloves and socks.

Hiding behind Grey's huge slide, she used Win_gaaar_dium Levi_ooo_sa to guide the assorted garments to the top of the creation. The Elves were in so much confusion that they barely even realized what was about to happen. Hermione dropped the clothes.

The plummeted down Grey's Deadly Slide Of Doom at an alarmingly fast speed. When they reached the end, the tip of the slide, the clothes flew up toward the ceiling one by one. For a second they seemed to float up in midair, before gravity decided to have it's way. Like rain, the clothes dropped from the sky, as if they were sent by some higher power.

The Elves were fascinated at first - they goggled at the clothes, not knowing what they were, or what they meant for them. But then, one smart-arse Elf decided to speak up.

"Clothes! Don't you see?! Don't you see what these wicked humans are trying to do?!"

The shout echoed throughout the whole kitchen. It seemed to bring everyone to their senses - or, in some cases, make everyone go absolutely insane.

"They don't look to happy, do they, Natsu?" Happy was trembling from head to toe, sweat pouring out of his fur. "Do you think if I gave them a fish they would cheer up...?"

"Just one fish? I dunno, buddy, if it was me it would take at least, like, 30 fish to get me in a good mood. Maybe with some beef on the side, too."

"Why would you need beef? Fish is way better! It has nutrients, and it's good for your brain! ...Now that I think about it, you and Lucy should really start eating them..."

"WHY ME TOO? I AM NOT DUMB! AND ISN'T NATSU SUPPOSED TO BE YOUR BEST FRIEND?!"

Natsu ignored the snide comment from Happy - he probably didn't understand it, anyway. "Beef's the best! It makes you tough and muscular, like me! Hey, maybe if you eat beef, you'll be able to beat Panther Lily!"

"WOAH! Me? Beat LILY? Oh, wow, Charle would totally fall head over heels in love with me then!" Happy laughed. Immediately after, however, he began to cry gloopy tears of sadness and frustration. "But then... But then I'd have to give up FISH! I can't choose between my two lovers! Oh, why must this happen to me? Why couldn't this happen to Lucy instead?!"

"AGAIN, WHY ME? I DON'T EVEN HAVE A LOVER! AND WOULD YOU TWO PLEASE QUIT TALKING ABOUT FOOD, WE HAVE MORE IMPORTANT MATTERS TO DEAL WITH!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot... Who would be in love with _you_?"

"Ha-Haaaa! Good one Happy!"

"UGGGGGH SHUT UP!"

The House Elves looked over at the ruckus Natsu, Lucy and Happy were causing, yet were greeted with... Nothing. Of course, the three of them had taken Kagura's body and hidden beneath the Cloak. However, the fact that they couldn't be seen only aggravated them even more.

"Come out! We know you're part of this evil scheme, so show yourselves, cowards!"

"Oh, so _that's_ this world's weird version of Erza!" Natsu whispered excitedly to his two best friends.

"Shh! We need to be quiet or they'll murder us!"

"You're scared of a couple of Elves?"

"A couple?! Natsu, there's a whole army of them and we don't know what kind of magic power they've got!"

"Oh, I can handle 'em!" Natsu boasted, hitting his fist into his hand, and, unfortunately, knocking the Invisibility Cloak off them in the process.

The 'Army' of House Elves turned to face them. Their glares were furious and hard, staring straight ahead ahead at them with no mercy. Many of them were clutching black frying pans (they'd been taking lessons from Rapunzel, I see), and were stood with their weapons extended, prepared for a fight.

"On second thoughts... Maybe we better run."

"Agreed. C'mon, Happy."

The Elves charged. This was war.


	10. Chapter 10: He Is Nothing

**Heeey! I hope ya'll are enjoying the story so far! This chapter it's going to have a bigger focus on the actual plot, believe it or not. And it's kind of darker. Again thank you to anyone who has read or reviewed, or faved or followed, it really means a lot! :D Sorry if I make a lot of typos by the way. I do that a lot. Enjoy!**

They charged, roaring their massive battle cry. Sure, the Elves had high-pitched, whiny voices, but that didn't stop the onslaught from being completely freaking terrifying. Their skinny and petite legs approached them at an inhuman speed - they were so surprisingly fast that even a wizard like Jet would have a hard time against them. Natsu, Lucy and Happy began to flee frantically, running as fast as their legs would allow them to. They got far - just an arms reach away from the hidden passageway out that Erza was guarding, just an _arms _reach - before Natsu let out a pained yell.

"Gaaaah!" Natsu's foot hit a heavy object which made all the bones in his body rattle upon impact. The heavy throbbing he was feeling caused him to stop and lose balance. As one leg danced madly in midair, time seemed to have frozen - or at least, slowed down. Natsu saw Lucy and Happy's shocked faces turn round, he saw their mouths widen in fear, and their eyes light up with alarm and concern for the safety of their friend.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried as she extended her hand. He stretched his, stretched it so far his muscles ached, yet it was still not far enough. He felt a tingling under his skin as thier fingertips brushed... Still, it just wasn't enough to stop him from crashing to the floor. Panicking, he fumbled to get up, but in the rush he only ended out flat out on his belly again.

"Go on without me! I'll be right behind ya'!"

"No! I'm not gonna just leave you here! I can't!"

Natsu risked a quick glance over his shoulder. It wasn't looking to good for them, not at all. Behind the Elves, he could just make out Grey chasing after them, occasionally using his Ice-Cannon to knock away some of their pursuers. He was slowing them down. Buying them time. Natsu silently thanked him; something that he would hardly ever do in person.

He scrambled to his feet, however before he could even start running again, a heavy weight descended on him. And another. And another. His back nearly cracked under the pressure, and before he could even shake them off, he was on the ground again.

"No! Stay away from him! Leave him ALONE!" Lucy screeched as she released her whip from her belt and ran towards the horde of House Elves, with tears in her eyes. "Natsuuuuu!"

"Luuuuucy!"

Heat began to build up on his back, forcing his flames to ignite - he really didn't want to hurt the people he was supposed to be freeing, but if they were trying to hurt him, then he was left with no choice. All the while he was telling Lucy to run, forget about him, and escape while she still could, yet all his begging served no purpose. She would never leave him, a member of Fairy Tail could never abandon their friend, their family. Grey was still fighting, not giving up, even when their chances of victory were looking smaller and smaller.

Was this the end? Were they going to fall by the hands of seriously pissed off House Elves?

BAM!

A pair of jet black, sparkling clean boots landed heavily on the stone tile floor on which Natsu was currently lay, closely followed an elegant yet manly robe which had beautiful golden thread sewn through it. All the House Elves - whether violent or peaceful - immediately bowed in his presence, abandoning everything they were doing. The man emitted a magic power that was fierce and overwhelming, yet passionate all the same. If it was a color, it would be gold - the brightest, happiest gold you had ever seen. Grey's eyes met his, and he was humbled by the sheer love they conveyed. It was captivating, and... Wait, what was this? Grey felt a creeping shiver run down his spine - and, for an ice-wizard, that takes a lot. _This feels like... Darkness! Like a huge, black mass of darkness that clouds out all the light!_

"Professor Tumblegate! You saved us!"

"Natsu, it's Dumbledore, idiot! Even I know that and I'm a cat!"

"Yeah, well, same thing..."

"Natsu, I really don't think it is..."

"Call me whatever you want, Natsu. I'm sure I've been called far worse by many of my students at some point." his eyes twinkled. All the suspicious magic that Grey had once seen lingering there dissipated with his smile. _Strange, _Grey thought, and once again felt that unusual shiver. He really didn't like it. He hated it, even.

"Now then. House Elves, I believe you can forgive my misinformed friends here, they are, shall we say... 'Not from around these parts', so to speak. As for you three - " he pointed a gnarled, wizened finger at Natsu, Lucy, and Grey "-how about we have a little chat in my study? Along with your red-haired friend of course. Erza Scarlet, I believe she was called."

Grey stared at the man that, in his heart, was still Master Hades. He had no doubt that Hades was Dumbledore's Earthland twin, and was pretty sure the others felt the same way. The way they'd all looked at each other when they first saw him, that was enough. There was nothing to debate about it. Still, just because they shared the same face, it didn't mean they shared the same morals. However it certainly was unnerving to see someone who once tried to murder you ask you to have a nice chat in his office. Hm.

But what choice did they have?

"...Alright, fine." Grey replied, his voice hostile. "But when we get there, we got a few questions for ya', and you better answer them, or else."

"Naturally," Dumbledore seemed completely unfazed by Grey's threat. "Shall we get going then?

* * *

"What do you mean, the plan failed?!" Erza barked at them as they trudged dejectedly behind Dumbledore on the way to his office.

"We mean exactly that, Erza." said Lucy solemnly. "It went wrong. We got the clothes to them just fine, but instead of rejoicing with freedom, they went psycho and tried to kill us."

Erza looked disgusted, as if she had bile in her mouth. "What kind of magic is that? Magic that kills independence and makes people WANT to be slaves? How can something so vulgar even exist?"

"Has it ever occurred to you..." Grey came up beside her. "That maybe it's just in their nature to be servants? Because I know somebody who's under a spell when I see them, and those guys seemed just fine to me."

Erza let out a reluctant sigh. "I guess so. But it still doesn't sit well with me."

Dumbledore turned to them. "It will all become clear in a moment, you'll see."

Once they entered Dumbledore's study, he shut the door firmly behind them. Lucy meanwhile, kept on placing her hands on her keys expectantly, yet only to take them off with disappointment. Needless to say, Crux hadn't found anything yet.

"I think we need a good long chat, wouldn't you agree?" Dumbledore addressed them. His beam was unfaltering, but there was still something... Off about it. At least, In the Strongest Team's opinion, anyway. When they didn't answer, Dumbledore's face grew grim.

"Destruction and disturbance. That's all you Faires cause, isn't it?! Wherever you go... It's always destruction!" venom had soaked into his voice, all the warmth and kindness gone. It was the same with his magic - now, it was nothing but darkness.

"Hades..." Natsu growled. "I knew it."

"Am I Hades? ...A part of me is, I am sure of that. I share his memories, his hopes, his desires... Yet I am something else, too. Something far, far... _Bigger!"_ he whispered that last word, coming right up close to Natsu's face. Natsu just stared, dumbfounded, but still furious.

"If you share Hades memories... You know everything that he did to us, don't you? Everything he did to me, everything he did to my friends... Everything he did to Fairy Tail." He ignited his entire body. "And you'll know that we'll never forgive him for that."

"Heh... Of course I do. It's embarrassing, really. Hades was weak, Hades was pathetic. Being beaten by you children! Bah!"

"These _children _will beat you again if we have to." Grey snapped, stepping forward, fist in palm.

The Hades/Dumbledore hybrid chuckled like a wise old man - which, partly, you could say he was - before proceeding to throw his hands up in the air like a crazed madman that was drunk on power - which, again, you could say he was.

"Maybe you infants could defeat Hades, I'll give you that... However, the way I am now, you don't have a prayer of defeating me! I have the power of Earthland and Earth! I have the powers of both Hades and Dumbledore! I am a God!"

"You're not a God!" Lucy spat. "You were never a God! You're nothing but a mutation, a freak of nature! You shouldn't even exist!"

The three turned to face her. "What do you mean?!" Erza demanded. "What is he?! WHO is he?!"

Lucy smirked. "He's nothing. He's-"

_"SILENCIO!"_

Her hands flew up to her throat; she had been met by that very same pain she had experienced before, when Dobby had put the charm on her and Natsu to stop them from bickering, except this time, the pain in her throat was tight enough to make it difficult to breathe. She couldn't scream, couldn't gasp for oxygen - there was nothing she could do, other than scrunch up her face in suffering and fall to the floor.

"Why, you...! REQUIP! ARMADURA FAIRY ARMOR!" she shimmered for a split second and then was quickly adorned in a baby-pink full suit of armor that had been crafted with unbreakable steel. Two swords materialized in her hands, and she charged forward, roaring with rage for her friend.

_"EXPELLIARMUS!"_

Erza's two most reliable swords - the two that had never failed her before - seemed to be pulled upwards by some sort of gravitational force. The tightness of her grip increased, yet the blades still felt like bars of soap in her sweaty hands. They flew towards Dumbledore/Hades and out of her hand, making it's way towards his outstretched fingers.

She smirked; hand-to-hand combat wasn't the only way she could use a sword. Lucky for her, she had other talents as well... Such as telekinesis. She stopped the swords in midair without even moving a muscle. It wasn't as easy as she thought it would be, however. She met a mighty magic resistance, like a brick wall made of power. Magical Power was a difficult thing to describe, but if Erza had to liken it to anything, she would say that it was if she was playing an intense game of 'Tug-Of-War' with her brain. Fortunately, she was winning.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu jumped above Erza and released his breath attack, smiling as the fire rained down violently on Hades.

_"PROTEGO!"_

An invisible bubble formed around Hades, causing the fire to swerve around him. When all the flames had disintegrated, Hades/Dumbledore was still standing there, proud and tall, without even a scratch on him.

"Heh! Now that that's over... Come forth, my Dementors!"

**NOTE: Before I lose any more followers, I would like to say that Erza CAN actually use ****telekinesis. It's on her Wiki. And also, please don't get mad at the NaLu moment if you don't like the ship. To me, it's just how I imagined they would react in that situation. Anyway, thanks.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey there :D So, chapter 11... It's gone so fast, as my first ever real serial fanfic (I've done one-shots before but nothing like this) I really love this story. I love this story to death. Anyway, there's quite a few more chapters to go. Reviews would be great... I hope this doesn't come across as too pretentious or depressing. Let me know if it does. Enjoy!**

"Come forth, my Dementors!"

At that moment, the air around them seemed to flee, to go dry, to abandon them when they needed it the most. Damn you, air. Hades grinned his evil grin, flashing beautifully white teeth behind a slightly off-white beard. It was not a pleasant sight. Behind him, shadows lurked, lurked just out of sight. Magic Energy seemed to seep out of the team slowly, as if there was a leak somewhere in their being. Their eyelids grew heavy.

And so they came.

4 Dementors for the 4 wizards, each one hiding hatred and tragedy behind their dark hood. Each one had a target.

Erza's reached her first; the swords she was controlling collapsed and gave into gravity. Here eyes grew wide and vacant.

_"Je...llal..." _Erza's whimper was barely audible, but the rest of the team knew what she had said alright. Of course, the name of the man who had caused her unimaginable pain yet unimaginable love at the same time was bound to come up when in the presence of bad memories and childhood nightmares.

_The Tower stood tall before her, stretching up so high it looked as if it could touch heaven. But Erza knew it couldn't touch heaven, because in her world, there was no heaven._

_Every morning she woke up to the same wails, screams and cries of the innocent. It was endless. Children had their naivety stolen from them, and the elderly had been robbed of their last days in peace. And what for? So a bunch of lowlife scum could build a hideous and useless contraption in the middle of the ocean? No, that couldn't be it. Erza's whole life in Rosemary Village could not have been taken away from her for such a mundane, wasteful task. She refused to believe it._

_But yet, it was true. She could find no other reason why she was here, spending her days dragging bricks that weighed double her body weight around and digging endless holes for hours on end. Was it too much to ask? Was it seriously too much to ask for freedom?_

_"There's no freedom in THIS world."_

_"There's no freedom..."_

_"THERE'S NO FREEDOM!"_

_His words haunted her for the rest of her life._

Titania was the first to fall.

_The Demon roared. It's howl was loud enough to cause earthquakes and demolish cities. In fact, it already had. As Grey lay crushed by the ruins of the town he once called home, he felt no desire to cry. His tears had been overpowered by shock, fear and rage. His hands were still shaking. At this rate, they would never stop._

_Grey wanted revenge. Grey wanted to kill Deliora. Grey WAS going to kill Deliora, with his own two hands._

_But he didn't, did he? He failed, failed so miserably that he brought death upon another, upon his very own master, and drove his fellow pupil into the darkness. He was pathetic. And what's worse, he always would be._

Soon after, Grey collapsed without making a sound.

_"Da-ddy... I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry."_

_"Sorry?! Sorry?! You dare even speak! How many times have I told you to stay silent unless you are permitted to speak?! You're useless. Your mother would be ashamed of you!"_

_The memory of that day was still fresh in her mind; she could never forget it. It was the day she finally decided to run away from 'home'. But it never was 'home', was it? It hadn't been home since her mother died, and all the love the household once contained had died with her. She bided her time for 7 years, until she eventually turned 17, when she believed she was old and wise enough to handle life in the outside world._

_She remembered running, running until her feet were bruised and bleeding. She wandered aimlessly for a year, still feeling as lonely as she did in the mansion, yet still being terrified of going returning._

_Then she'd finally thought she'd found friends, a family, a thought she was happy._

_She was dead wrong._

_The Guild Hall destroyed. Her friends battered, knocked unconscious and pinned to a tree. All her fault. Once again, her father ruined her life._

_After that, the flashbacks became quick and brief, yet painful all the same._

_Being thrown against the wall, being kicked and dragged by her hair. Gajeel's torture, his idea of fun._

_Being tossed around an arena like a rag doll, with millions of people pointing, and laughing at her helplessness._

_Minerva's 'performance'._

_Watching herself die._

Lucy Heartfilia was the third to pass out.

_"Igneel? Igneel?! Where are you Igneel?! DON'T LEAVE ME!"_

_He couldn't have left; it was impossible. Igneel was the only family Natsu had. If he was gone, then... No. He couldn't be alone, he _couldn't. _Igneel promised he would stay, he promised!_

_But as Natsu ran through the forest with tears streaming down his face, he felt his unwavering faith in the dragon he called 'father' fade away. He was nowhere to be found._

_It was the date 7/7/7, and Natsu Dragneel, son of Igneel, was all alone._

Not even the Dragon Slayer could take the Dementors.

Hades smiled a little - if one didn't know him, you could easily mistake it for a beam full of love and kindness. But there was no kindness there, no love, only the crazed coldness that often comes free with a deadly ambition. He swung his leg backwards and aimed a violent kick at each of the limp bodies that were sprawled out on his floor. The motion was followed a laugh.

"It's off to Azkaban we go, children of Makarov."

They vanished with a swift _crack!_

Hidden away in a corner, a Blue Exceed trembled. His fur stood on end from the terror he felt... He was helpless. But still, he couldn't give up. The crazy headmaster had taken his friends, and it was up to him to save them.

He WOULD find a way. He was Happy of the Fairy Tail Guild and he WOULD find a way.

Just you watch.


	12. Chapter 12: The Escape Plan!

**Hola readers! New chapter is here! I'm off for a week so expect more to come this week... Thankyou readers, reviewers, followers and favorite-ers! Means a lot! Please review as I'm not sure how the story is going. Enjoy!**

When they had finally awoken, Lucy and Erza found themselves lying on the floor of a barren, crumbling, and ridiculously claustrophobic cell. As far as they could see past the barred doors, there were no guards, but that didn't matter; they were already prisoner to their own thoughts.

Erza rocked gently back and forth, her eyes vacant. If you looked at her, you would no longer be able to see the skilled and hardened warrior that had practically raised Natsu and Grey; all you would be able to see would be the lost little girl who was trapped in 'The Tower of Heaven', afraid and far from home. Her shining red hair flopped over the right side of her face, much like it did before she got her artificial eye. Lucy wasn't faring much better - every fibre of her being was trembling with fear - but she _knew _that she couldn't afford to give up just yet. Her comrades needed her, her _nakama _needed her. She forced herself to glance upon Erza's curled up body, even though it killed a small piece of her soul to do so.

If her theory was correct - and she was pretty sure it was, almost certain - then these creatures, these _'Dementors', _fed off terror, despair, and painful childhood memories. Bad news for Erza, who, obviously, had more horrific childhood memories than one could even begin to count.

"Er-za..." Lucy croaked. God, how long had it been since she last had a drink? Her throat was drier than whatever the Earthland equivalent of the Sahara Desert was.

Erza ignored her - to be honest, Lucy doubted that Erza had even heard her; it seemed that she was too wrapped up in her awful past.

Lucy's heart ached. She thought about all the times Erza had been strong when she hadn't, all the times that she had saved her, all the times she had offered a kind word of encouragement to her, and all the times she had been willing to go through unimaginable hardships in order to protect her fellow guild mates.

Erza was strong. Erza was brave. Erza was unbreakable. Sure, she could be socially awkward at times, but she had the biggest heart in all of Fairy Tail. She deserved to be happy, to be free, and not to be haunted by the demons from her past. And that's exactly why Lucy had to save her, exactly why they had to get out of here: so Erza could be happy, free, and completely unhaunted.

"Erza." Once again, Lucy spoke her name, this time with pure conviction and purpose. With her right hand, she gingerly brushed aside the fringe of hair Erza was hiding behind. She continued: "Erza, are you with me? Erza, please, snap out of it! We need you right now. We need you more than anything. Everything will be okay, I swear, just please, snap out of it!"

Seconds passed. Lucy's heart sank. She began to lose hope. Then, finally: "Lucy... Is that you? Where am I?"

"Yeah, Erza, it's me... Listen, we gotta - " she gagged - a mental image of 'Future Lucy' lying dead on the floor with a bleeding hole in her stomach appeared at the forefront of her mind. She did her best to shake it off. " - we gotta find the boys. And Happy. I have no idea where they are, but we gotta find them."

Lucy gasped - something amazing happened. For the first time since seeing the Dementors, Erza smiled, her beautiful, radiant smile. "Yes, of course... The boys. I swear, if they've destroyed something, I'll kill the both of them."

At the sight of Erza's smile, Lucy's spirits soared - they did have hope. If Erza could manage a smile in a place like this, then they sure as hell could manage to escape. They were Fairy Tail, and they WOULD find a way. Lucy suddenly pulled Erza into a tight embrace, with tears running down her face.

"Don't tell me you're crying, Lucy..." Erza teased gently.

Lucy giggled through her thick sobs. "Sorry... I can't help it, I'm just glad you're okay."

"...Me too, Lucy."

The two girls helped each other up, and headed towards the tiniest barred window located in the corner of their dingy cell. They gasped - before them, the ocean stretched out into the horizon, looking seemingly endless. The water was a dark and murky blue, as if it was hiding something deadly beneath it's ugly surface.

"The water... We're stranded." Lucy whispered.

"There's gotta be a way... Tsk, if only I had more magic power... I think those creatures from before sapped a load out of me."

"Same here... If I had a little then I might've been able to summon Virgo, but I'm all dry."

Erza looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Well then, I guess we're going to do a transferal."

"A transferal?" Lucy asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes - I have more magic power than you. They didn't manage to take it all." Erza explained, almost cockily.

"Yeah but... It's yours..."

"Take it as my gift to you. It's a thank you for saving me from myself before. Now, give me your hand!" the Titania ordered.

Lucy - like any smart person would - did as she was told. Erza's hand was so cold that it sent a shiver down her spine. Despite the brave face she was putting on, it was pain-stakingly clear that she was still suffering from the seed of despair the Dementors had planted in her. Then again, Lucy wasn't much different.

All of a sudden, she felt magic power well up inside her - not much of it, sure, but it was _something_, and that something might just be their ticket out of there. Erza's power was overwhelming, and felt so much more fiercer and mightier than her own, but she had to have faith that she could use it. She could feel the Dementors trying to suck that faith out of her, which only made her cling onto it tighter. She pulled out the Key of the Maiden.

"Open! Virgo!"

"Would you like to punish me, Princess?" with a puff of smoke, the celestial spirit Virgo appeared in front of the two girls, leaning forward in a strange sort of bow.

Lucy sighed, exasperated. "For the last time, Virgo, I do not want to punish you! I just need your help with something, okay?"

"Very well Princess, I shall do my best."

"Great!" Lucy cheered. "Do you think you can dig a hole to get us out of here? We gotta find Natsu, Grey and Happy first though. And also - "

Before Lucy could even finish telling Virgo her instructions, she had already sank deep into the ground, so deep in fact that the pink-haired maid was no longer visible amidst the dirt and rubble.

"Hey! I wasn't done with you yet!"

"Um... Is she going to come back?" Erza asked, skeptical, after roughly one minute. Panic lit up in Lucy's face as she called into the hole - or should I say abyss?

"Virgo? Virgo, are you there? Oh God, what if those things got her?! What if-"

However, the verbalization of her irrational worries was cut short by the re-appearance of Virgo herself, dragging two less-than-happy passengers along with her. "Would you like me to punish them for you, Princess?"

"Virgo! You're okay! And... Natsu! Grey!"

"Ugh... I feel really sick..."

"Hey! Throw up somewhere else, Flame Brain! I don't want your fiery puke all over these new clothes!"

"...You're not even _wearing _any clothes, man!"

"I'm not? WAIT WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!"

"Princess." Virgo addressed Lucy. "There are many dangerous beings here that could be fatal to humans - please be careful. The hole I dug should lead you right out onto the edge of the island."

Lucy peered into the endless hole, uneasy. "Um, Virgo? Are you sure this is... Uh... Safe?"

Virgo replied by pushing the 4 wizards down into the hole. After them, she yelled "If you find my passageway dangerous, Princess, then please feel free to punish me!"

But 'Princess' was too busy screaming.

* * *

"I swear, one day I might actually punish her." grumbled Lucy as she emerged from the long tunnel, covered in mud and grime, knowing full well her statement was a lie.

Natsu was shaking, shaking even more he did when surrendered to Gildarts, shaking so much his hands were nothing but a blur. He tried to tell himself that it was just the motion sickness, nothing more, but he, too, knew that his statement was a lie. He knew EXACTLY why he was shaking.

"Lucy." he went straight up to her, and leaned in close. "Don't die on me. Promise me you won't - I've seen it once, and I don't ever wanna see it again. Please."

Her mouth gaped open; she had never seen Natsu like this, so small, so scared, so _raw._ She noticed he was shaking - and Natsu _never _shook. Like, ever.

Her brown orbs met his beady black eyes as she pulled him into a hug. "I promise, Natsu. Don't worry - we're all gonna get out of here safe and sound, understand?"

Natsu nodded. Then, he turned to Erza, his head bowed low. "I'm not gonna let you die either. Remember what I said in the Tower of Heaven... You can't give up on life, you can't leave us, ya' hear?"

She too, replied by hugging him tightly. "There's no need for you to even ask - you already have my word on that. You're not rid of me just yet." She beamed.

"And you - " He glared at Grey and tensed his muscles - it was time for tough love. "Don't you dare throw your life away, idiot. If you go gettin' yourself hurt then I'll beat the snot outta' you."

Grey nodded and lightly punched him in the arm. "You too, Flame Brain, you too."

"Well well well, what do we have here? Escaped prisoners? Naughty naughty..."

A hooded figure approached them, impatiently tapping a wand against his thigh. His skin was as pale as death, and had what looked like the texture of a wax model. Only his mouth was visible, but that told them enough about him: his lips were stretched into long, maniacal grin. He raised his wand and opened his awful, awful mouth.

"Meteor!"

A golden light flew straight into the Mystery Wizard's face, and sent him flying out of sight. As soon as Mystery Wizard had disappeared, the golden light faded and was replaced by a tall, muscular, blue-haired man with an intricate tattoo dominating the right side of his face. "Erza. I'm relieved to see you're okay."

"Jellal!"

"Hey, don't forget me!" Happy called as he popped out of Jellal's mop of blue hair.

"And Happy!"

"The stupid cat came to save us!"


	13. Chapter 13: A Beautiful Night

**`Note: I hope you enjoy this fluffy chapter :) Please review.**

"The Stupid Cat came to save us!"

"Aye Sir! And I brought along Jellal too!"

Jellal smiled wearily, with bags sagging under his eyes - he too was not immune to the Dementors. He headed over to Erza.

"Erza... You have no idea how relieved I am to find you. When I heard about your disappearance, I was so worried I dropped Meldy off at your guild and went out searching! I was headed over to those ruins where you were last seen, and then I found myself in some kind of forest... After that your cat came and found me, and then-" Erza held up a hand to silence him as she gave him a loving smile. "Jellal... You can save the explanations for later; for now, all that matters is that we get off this island safely. Now then, Grey, are you able to create an Ice Floor?"

Grey opened his mouth to reply, however, was cut short by the rather loud approach of yet another hooded figure. _"What did you do to our boss?"_

The voice was low, raspy, and practically screamed 'cliche underling'. He also carried a wand, although his was cracked and marred in several different places, unlike his superior's wand which was spotless and elegant.

"Stay back!" Jellal jumped in front of them, still carrying Happy on his head. "I'll take care of him... Who are you and what do you want?"

_"Tch... I have no name. I decided to forsake the pleasures of identity long ago, in order to preserve the peace and justice the Ministry worked so hard for... My entire existence is dedicated to eradicating criminal scoundrels like you... Tcheheh."_

"We're the criminals?" Grey growled. "You keep people prisoner on this island, surround them with creatures that suck out all their happiness and fighting spirit, and then you call _us _the criminals?! You really need to open your eyes, y'know!"

"Yeah..." Natsu agreed, pounding his fist into his hand. "If you ask me, I'd say you were the _real _bad guy in all this, and I wanna make you pay for what happened to me and my friends in there!"

"No Natsu!" Jellal yelled at him. "You still haven't recovered enough magic power! He'll annihilate you!"

"You think I care about that?!" Natsu shouted angrily as he jumped above them, and dived down in the direction of Mystery Wizard #2. "Back when you and I fought, I didn't give up until the very end, so why do you expect me to give up now?!"

_"Crucio..."_

A painfully white light erupted from the wand and hit Natsu squarely in the chest. As soon as the spell touched him, he let out a shout of distress and began writhing in pain. He bit down on his his bottom lip, drawing blood. He was being tortured.

"Leave him alone!" Lucy cried out desperately. "Please, he didn't do anything!"

_"Tcheheheheheh... Tch. You think I care, Blondie? He's trying to escape Azkaban - and nobody escapes Azkaban, not when I'm around..."_

Jellal extended his palm and shot out a Heavenly Beam at him, just missing Natsu by a strand of hair. It hit Mystery Wizard #2 in the shoulder, causing the spell he was aiming at Natsu to fly off target. He fell to the floor, clutching the affected area and fighting tears.

"Seriously? This guy talks tough and then starts _crying_ after a single hit?! Geez, talk about pathetic..." Grey marveled to himself, fighting off a fit of hysterical laughter.

However, it turns out that Mysterious Wizard #2 wasn't as pathetic as Grey thought; after letting out one last groan of pain, he once again stood up and raised his wand arm high in the air, not unlike Erza when performing Heaven's Wheel. Red sparks shot out from the tip of his wand and danced elegantly in the sky. Within the exact same second, more hooded wizards appeared from every angle, forcing the group of Earthlanders backwards - nearly into the ocean.

_"Oh yes, cower in the corner, like the scum you are!_ _Who's pathetic now, girly?!"_

Jellal suddenly gripped Grey by the shoulders, tightly. Grey's eyes widened in shock as he felt his magic power rise higher than it had ever been before - what _was_ this? His whole body seemed incredibly light and speedy, and the whole world appeared to be slowing down. He noticed more things. He smelt a thousand different smells, and heard a thousand different sounds. Moreover, his mind was working at a mile a minute, enabling him to think up countless strategies, and the pro's and con's of each one, in space of mere seconds.

He knew what he had to do.

"Ice-Make Floor!"

The murky blue of the sea began to fade and harden, until the entire world around them had transformed into ice. "Everyone, get out of here, now! I'll be right behind you!" Jellal ordered. Grey, Lucy and Natsu immediately headed out onto the ice. Erza, however, hesitated. Her eyes were fixed on Jellal's muscular body - for some reason, she couldn't look away. She felt as though if she let him out of her sight, even just once, he would disappear again and she would never be able to find him.

"Jellal... Please be careful..." she whispered quietly under her breath, before finally tearing her eyes away from him and turning onto the ice.

"Don't worry, Erza... I'll be just fine." he replied, but she had already gone.

* * *

"Erza? You okay?" Lucy asked Erza, concern in her voice. Since they had left Azkaban, Erza had been uncharacteristically quiet; she didn't even have the will to yell at Natsu and Grey as they bickered by the campfire, which was a surefire sign that something was wrong.

"Yes... Just thinking about..." Erza paused. "Nevermind."

Suddenly there was a rustle, a rustle followed by a thud. The 4 wizards head's snapped around, and were greeted by the sight of Jellal (with Happy still perched on his head) staggering through the undergrowth, dragging two limp bodies behind him. His face was covered in dirt, and his cloak was slightly torn at the bottom, but otherwise he looked okay. Still, that didn't stop Erza from fussing over him.

"Jellal!" she rushed over and put her hand on his chest, trying to keep him steady."Are you alright? Don't push yourself!"

"Honestly Erza, I'm fine." He smiled. "More importantly, are you?"

"Yes... I'm alright." She looked up at him. Their eyes met.

She stared. So did he. Then he turned away.

Once they had returned to the campfire, Jellal burst into his explanation on how he'd heard that Erza, Natsu, Grey, Lucy and Happy had gone missing when he stopped by at the guild, and instantly headed to the ruins where they were last seen. He, too, ended up in Hogwarts, and ran into a very panicked Happy whilst investigating. Happy then told him that they'd been taken to 'Azkaban', and so Jellal went to the library and soon located the place. The rest, of course, is simple.

"Thanks for saving us back there." Said Grey as he took off his sock. "By the way, how's everyone at the guild?"

"Ah, they're all fine. Worried about you four of course, but otherwise okay. Although, there have been quite a few floods in the guild hall recently..."

Grey groaned. "Lemme guess... Juvia?"

"The very same."

* * *

Night had fallen. The stars were twinkling beautifully up above, and the sky was a deep velvet blue. The air was cold and crisp, yet slightly cosy in a way. Underneath the layer of trees, a group of mages slept peacefully, despite all the hardships they had previously faced. All, except two.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Erza suddenly spoke up.

"Yes... I suppose so..."

"Jellal." Erza turned to him. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"There's nothing bothering me."

"Don't lie!" she snapped at him, before calming down. "You're always such a terrible liar."

"...And you're always such a hot-head." he began to smile, but faltered halfway through. "That island... There was something not right about it. From the moment I set foot on it, everything started coming back to me. All the despicable deeds... All the pain I caused you, all the people I used to call my friends... All the lives I ruined."

"I was beginning to see the light, Erza. I was starting to hope, starting to believe that could truly repent for all my sins... But after being on that island, I realized it was all a lie I was telling myself in order to ease my guilt. It was an excuse, a cop ou-"

"Jellal, stop. Stop right now. I know exactly what you're going to say."

"Maybe I should just end it. Maybe that would be the only proper way to repay all the people I hurt."

"Shut up!" She cried suddenly, eyes blazing with fury. "Yes, you've done some despicable things. Yes, you ruined my childhood - I'm not going to lie to make you feel better - but if you gave up now, if you did what I know you're thinking of doing, then you'll ruin my life as an adult as well."

She continued. "Besides, you have something important to live for. Something very important." Erza lovingly looked on the three mages that were sleeping soundly next to her, and the cat they lay next to them. "I live for them. I live everyday so I can make their lives that bit happier, easier, and safer. After all they've done for me, and how much they care for me, to not live would be an insult to their kindness. And it's exactly the same with you. You have people who care about you, Jellal: me, Meldy, and I know Ultear would slap you across the face is she heard what you're saying right now. So - "

And she slapped him across the face.

He rubbed his cheek gingerly. "Thankyou, I really needed that. Believe it or not, I actually feel better now."

She laughed - not just a giggle, but a full on bark of laughter. "I've missed you, Jellal."

"As have I, Erza, as have I."

They continued staring at the sky for while longer in a beautiful, companionable silence. At some point, although neither party knew which, Erza's graceful yet powerful hand ended up inside of Jellal's warm, sweaty palm. Despite all the time they had spent apart, they felt no desire to talk; it was if by simply touching hands their minds had become one, and all was understood.

For once, they were free to spend a night together. And that was all they needed.

Eventually, the two fell asleep, somehow wrapped up in eachother's arms.


	14. Chapter 14: The Secret of Hades

"We need a plan." Erza announced to the group when they had awoken the next morning. She was trying to avert Jellal's gaze, so as to not attract unwanted attention from her _nakama_, but of course, the more she tried, the more she failed. He, on the other hand, wasn't even bothering to try: his black eyes followed her intently with wonder, like a child seeing Santa on Christmas morning.

"Yes..." he agreed dreamily. "We really, really do..."

"Was he even listening?" Lucy whispered skeptically to Grey.

"I doubt it." he grumbled back, irritated.

"We don't need a plan!" Natsu yelled. "We're Fairy Tail! We never plan!"

"Yeah, because that always turns out perfectly for us..."

"Well, we always manage to survive somehow, right?!"

"...I think that's just dumb luck, Natsu."

"FOCUS, YOU FOOLS!" Erza snapped, causing Grey, Natsu, Lucy and Happy to hug eachother in fear. Jellal, meanwhile, didn't even flinch. Love blinds even the best of us, I guess.

"Firstly," she carried on. "We need to establish a connection between the man we know as 'Hades' and the man the students know as 'Dumbledore'. After that, we need a strategy. I think it's obvious that last time, our teamwork failed badly. We became absorbed in our own fears, and separated from each other, myself included." The team looked down, ashamed; it was true. The Dementors had broken them, torn apart the bonds they had spent years building, in an instant, without even a second thought. They had failed eachother, big time.

"We can't let that happen again." Grey said darkly.

"Yeah," Lucy agreed. "Besides, I have a theory."

"LUCY HAS A THEORY? WE'RE ALL DOOOOOOOMED!" Happy cried, slapping his hands to his cheeks.

"OH MAN, WHAT DO WE DO? WE HAVE TO THINK OF A WAY TO STOP HER!" Natsu yelled in response to his best friend.

"NO NATSU! IF YOU THINK TOO, THEN WE'LL BE EVEN MORE DOOMED!"

Lucy began furiously throttling the Exceed as she screamed into his ear: "YOU ARE SO MEAN CAT!"

"AGAIN, FOCUS, YOU FOOLS!"

"WE'RE SORRY ERZA WE PROMISE WE'LL BE GOOD!"

"Anyway," Lucy carried on with her explanation. "I think I've firgured it out. There's a lot of guesswork involved, but I'm almost certain I'm right. When Hades soul was set free from Franmalth, I'm guessing he continued his search for the ONE magic. Somehow, he wound up in this world. Following so far?"

"That doesn't make any sense." Natsu noted.

"Since when does anything in Fairy Tail make sense?" Lucy argued.

"True."

"So, when he ends up in this world, he finds Dumbledore, his twin, and somehow merges with him, which poses us with a problem. You see, Hades was incredibly close to achiving the ONE magic, but couldn't, because he was incapable of 'love', the most vital ingredient." She explained patiently. At this point, her face darkened. "Dumbledore, on the other hand, IS capable of love, which means that since they merged, Hades can now access the ONE magic, which probably explains why he could control Dementors. Which is, to say the least, terrifing."

Natsu scratched his head with a bemused look on his face. "I don't get it... So what do we do, beat him up?"

"No. We gotta find a way to separate Dumbledore and Hades, because together they form somebody way more formidable than Hades. Besides, Dumbledore is an innocent man, I think."

"I see." Erza stared down at the ground, deep in thought. "Find a way... To split them up... Then we take down Hades. Again."

Lucy nodded. "That's the plan. But I have no idea how we're gonna do that."

"I've heard of this before." Jellal spoke up, after a few seconds of deadly silence. "Merging, I mean. During your seven year absense, me, Meldy and Ultear took such a task. It seems like the only way to separate merged personalities without harming either party is to stir up emotions or memories that are felt by _only_ one party. In other words, you use their differences to tear them apart."

"I don't get it." Natsu repeated, dumbstruck.

"Maybe you would if you actually listened to people, Flame Brain."

"SHUT YOUR FACE, YOU PERVY POPSICLE!"

"WHAT KIND OF INSULT IS THAT, DRAGON WANNABE!"

"Lame insults, guys..." Lucy pointed out.

"Aye..." Happy agreed.

"PAY ATTENTION TO JELLAL OR I'LL CUT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!"

"WE'RE SORRY MA'AM!"

"Now Jellal," Erza turned to him, her voice calm and even and her smile small and sweet, as if nothing had happened. "Tell them your plan."

"Well, you see..."

***plays that thing that always plays at the end of Eastenders whenever something dramatic happens* THE SECRET OF HADES/DUMBLEDORE IS OUT! AND WHAT COULD JELLAL'S PLAN POSSIBLY ENTAIL?! YOU'LL FIND OUT IN... THE NEXT CHAPTER! DUN, DUN, DUUUUUN!**

**Thankyou to everyone who helped me out... This chap was a difficult one for some reason :D Sorry it's short. Next one will be longer, I promise!**


End file.
